The Art of Revenge
by madmother2
Summary: When is revenge acceptable? And what form should it take? Spoilers for season 7.
1. Chapter 1

Jean Innocent looked at the two officers stood loosely at attention in front of her desk. Inevitably, it was Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway who had upset the university authorities again.

'I've had a complaint from a Professor Andrews and a Professor Matheson. Apparently you failed to follow their procedure.'

'That's because their procedure would have required us to apply for an appointment to interview members of the college, allowing the suspects time to get their stories straight, Ma'am,' said Robbie Lewis.  
>'So instead you rode roughshod over centuries of tradition?'<br>'It was a murder investigation, Ma'am,' said James.  
>'Yes, quite right. I told them that their procedures didn't apply to the police and that if they tried to interfere in an investigation again, I'd have them arrested.'<br>Jean paused to enjoy their surprised expressions, smiling briefly, before continuing,  
>'No doubt they're whining to the Chief Constable as we speak but as far as I'm concerned being respectful does not include letting over-entitled idiots act as though they're above the law. Well done.'<br>'Thank you, Ma'am,' said Robbie.  
>James murmured his thanks too, blushing slightly at the unexpected compliment.<br>'How is the training coming along?' continued Jean.  
>Jean had tried to persuade James to stay but after several long discussions had reluctantly accepted his decision to resign and Robbie's decision to retire shortly afterwards. However, she had insisted that they spend their remaining time imparting as much knowledge as possible to the team's detective constables so John Hooper and Alex Grey were shadowing James and Robbie and studying for their sergeant's exams at the same time.<br>'They're coming along,' said Robbie, 'Hooper's upped his game but he's struggling with the book learning. Grey's getting there but he needs more experience.'  
>'That's easily remedied, Robbie. Why don't you stay another year?'<br>Robbie smiled at Jean, genuinely amused. She was convinced that he'd be bored out of his mind within six months of retiring and lost no opportunity to suggest that he delay it.  
>'Sorry, Ma'am, I'm happy with my current retirement date.'<br>'Hmm. So which of them should I promote?'  
>They spent twenty minutes discussing the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two men before Jean dismissed them, watching them leave her office with a wistful smile. They might cause her the most trouble but they were her favourite team; she was going to miss them both. And her clear up rate was probably going to go to hell when they left too.<p>

Stuart felt his pulse racing as he saw the stamp on the letter, "HM Prisons Broadway". Hands shaking, he opened the letter and began to read. After he'd read what was written he put the letter carefully back in its envelope and put it with the others then began to pace, trying to figure out if he could do it. After a minute he went to his laptop and started two Google searches, one for "Lucy Smith" and one for "Jean Innocent police officer". His first search threw up several million hits and Stuart swore as he realised that Smith was too common a surname, he would have to find a way to narrow it down. His second search was much more successful, bringing up numerous pictures and articles. Sitting down, Stuart started reading.

Jean Innocent opened the letter and read it with a resigned sigh; it was the formal notification that the long, unpleasant process of becoming a divorced woman was now complete. She had never expected to be divorced even though police officers had a much higher divorce rate than average due to the long hours and the high levels of stress that came with the job. Somehow, she'd thought she'd be immune but here she was another divorced copper.  
>Forcing herself to look on the bright side, Jean reminded herself that at least now she didn't have to pretend any more. And she could date again, if she could even remember how and if she could find someone who wanted to date a female senior police officer. Jean opened her laptop, logged in, searched for internet dating sites and hesitantly clicked on one that claimed to be specifically for law enforcement professionals and those who wanted to date them. Five minutes later she was watching a video of 'Roger'. Roger wanted to be handcuffed to the bed. Cynically amused, Jean clicked on another video, raising her eyebrows as she heard 'Kevin' explaining that he wanted a policewoman to use her handcuffs and truncheon 'to make him behave'. The third, fourth and fifth videos she clicked on were more of the same and Jean made a mental note not to visit that site again. Jean had been in Vice for over two years during her time at the Met so she wasn't shocked by the things that people wanted and she wasn't averse to playing games but she wanted a partner not a submissive. Perhaps Laura knew some single men who might be interested. Picking up her phone she sent Laura Hobson a text,<br>*Know any decent single men? *  
>*A few. Agecolouring/height etc? *  
>*At least a few years older than ChrisDon't mind/Taller than me. *  
>*Hobbies? *<br>*Not fussed as long as they're around at weekends – just don't want someone who wants me to handcuff them to the bed and use my truncheon to perform an obscene act on them. *  
>*With your truncheon?! Sounds like a recipe for a trip to A&amp;E. So no S&amp;M then? :D;) *<br>*Definitely not! :D *  
>*It shouldn't be a problem. Let me see who's available and get back to you. *<br>Jean finished her text exchange with Laura then poured herself a glass of wine and took it out into the garden. Her garden, now. She had been awarded the house despite Simon's arguments and she could do what she wanted with it.  
>Thinking about what she wanted to do, Jean wandered through the house. When she came to the dining room, she grimaced; it was looking tatty and old-fashioned. Taking out her phone, she found the number she wanted and dialled,<br>'John Squires.'  
>'Hello, John. Jean Innocent here. I was wondering if you had time to do some decorating for me.'<br>Two minutes later, she hung up with a satisfied smile.

Stuart looked at the gravestone in disappointment; what they'd told him at the Post Office was true, she was dead. It was there in carefully incised letters,

"Lucy Joanne Smith  
>1968 – 2011<br>At Peace Now"

Still, there was one thing he could do. He checked to make sure that he was unobserved then took out the red spray paint from his backpack, shook it well, then wrote 'WHORE' in big letters across the tombstone almost obliterating the inscription.  
>Satisfied, Stuart made his way to Reading Coach Station and bought himself a single to Oxford.<p>

John Squires looked thoughtfully at the walls of Jean Innocent's dining room, making sure that the undercoat was on evenly. Satisfied, he turned to his son and said,  
>'We'll put the first coat of gloss on the woodwork after lunch.'<br>Tom Squires nodded and said,  
>'It's warm today; we could sit outside to eat.'<br>They went back to the van, stripped off their overalls, got their lunches and sat on the wall in the front garden to enjoy the September sun. They shut the front door but left the windows at the rear open to dry the paint more quickly.  
>After they'd eaten, they put their overalls back on then got out the gloss paint and brushes and went back inside.<p>

Jean Innocent put the file in her out tray with a satisfied smile, gathered up her belongings and left the station, delighted to be leaving before seven for once. She had some personnel files to look at but first she was going to make herself a salad and take it outside to eat it. It had been a quiet day and the offices were all empty, she was glad to see. It would have been such a shame to waste such a beautiful Friday evening. Smiling, she said goodbye to the desk sergeant and got into her car.


	2. Chapter 2

'Can I kill him, Sir?'  
>Robbie Lewis looked at his sergeant sharply but there was no sarcasm or facetiousness in his voice or on his face, just a cold, hard anger.<br>'Who?'  
>'Mr Innocent,' replied James.<br>'We don't know yet that it was him that did this.'  
>'And if it was?'<br>'Then I think you'll have to take a number, Sergeant,' said Robbie sombrely.  
>They had just watched Jean Innocent being taken to hospital. She was unconscious and had been badly beaten. Forcing his mind away from Jean's possible injuries, Robbie said,<br>'What do we know so far?'  
>'The silent alarm went off at nine-twelve pm, presumably because of the window being broken. SOCO have found a paperweight on the driveway surrounded by broken glass.'<br>'So the window was broken from the inside.'  
>'Yes, Sir. Presumably by Chief Superintendent Innocent. SOCO are fingerprinting it now.'<br>Robbie nodded and James continued,  
>'A patrol car was dispatched at nine-fifteen when Chief Superintendent Innocent failed to reply to either her landline or her mobile. One of the neighbours to the left, a Mrs Jackson, dialled 999 to report a disturbance at nine-twenty, at which point a second patrol was dispatched. When the first officers arrived, they found Mr Jackson semi-conscious, lying on the driveway with an air rifle beside him, the front door open and Chief Superintendent Innocent lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. Mr Jackson told the officers that the attacker was male, IC1, height five foot ten to six foot, medium build, age twenty-five to fifty, wearing jeans and a dark hoodie. The BOLO's gone out, Sir.'<br>'And that's Mr Jackson there, is it?' said Robbie, looking over at a very elderly man sat inside a second ambulance, being treated by paramedics.  
>'Yes, Sir. Edward Neil Jackson, aged eighty-two. Given his age, I think we can assume that he wasn't the attacker.'<br>'Has anyone spoken to him yet?'  
>'No, Sir.'<br>'Go and see if the paramedics will let you have a quick word. I'll get an update from forensics.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<p>

James walked over to the ambulance, pushing his anger down so that it wouldn't interfere with his ability to do his job. The paramedic hesitated but Mr Jackson beckoned him over and said,  
>'Is Jean going to be all right?'<br>'I'm afraid we don't know yet. Could you tell me what happened, Sir?'  
>'Sue and I were in the kitchen, putting the dinner plates away when we heard a window breaking. I opened the kitchen door and heard Jean screaming for help so I told Sue to call the police and I grabbed my air rifle and the box of pellets and came over to Jean's. The window by the front door was broken and when I looked in I saw her struggling with a man at the bottom of the stairs. I yelled at him to stop and that the police were on their way. He raised a hammer and at first I thought he was going to throw it at me but then he brought it down on Jean's head. She managed to partially deflect the blow but it was enough to make her fall to the floor unconscious. He raised the hammer again so I shot him in the hand with my air rifle. He dropped the hammer, of course, but he immediately started scrabbling around on the floor for it. I reloaded the air rifle and shouted that I'd kill him if he didn't put his hands behind his head and kneel on the floor. Instead he came out of the front door and rushed me. I shot at him and nicked his ear then he bowled me over. He hit me a couple of times but then he heard the sirens and ran off. I'm afraid I didn't see which way he went.'<br>'Did you recognise the man, Sir.'  
>'No but it was almost dark.'<br>'The lights weren't on in Chief Superintendent Innocent's house?'  
>'Not downstairs. There was a bit of light from upstairs but not enough to see his face clearly.'<br>'But you hit the man twice with your air rifle?'  
>'Yes. I'm a good shot.'<br>James filed that comment away for further investigation though he'd be prepared to bet that Mr Jackson had a military background. Even frail with age he carried himself with calm alertness.  
>'Could it have been Mr Innocent?'<br>'Simon? I'm not sure. He was about the right height and build but I don't think the face was quite right. I'm sorry but I haven't seen Simon Innocent properly for about three years so I can't be sure.'  
>'Three years?'<br>'Yes, it must be about that long. My wife, Sue, would know for certain. That's when he started being gone for extended periods of time and only being at home for the odd day or two. When Jean told us they were getting divorced it didn't exactly come as a surprise.'  
>'No, I can't imagine that it did,' said James, carefully concealing his own surprise. As far as he knew, no one at the station knew about the divorce.<br>'Were there arguments as far as you knew?'  
>'No, never anything like that. I think their marriage might have stood more chance of survival if there had been.'<br>'Sir?'  
>'I don't think Simon cared enough to argue. He just ignored Jean and did as he pleased.'<br>James' disgust must have shown on his face because Mr Jackson continued,  
>'He may be brilliant but we thought he was spoilt and immature. Why she put up with him for so long I have no idea.'<br>'Is there anything else you can remember about the attacker?'  
>'He wasn't a fighter. I nearly managed to hold on to him despite being as weak as a three-year-old now. Five years ago, I'd have had him easily.'<br>'Thank you, Sir. Someone will come and take a formal statement from you tomorrow.'  
>'Understood.'<br>James took a step away but Mr Jackson pulled open the blanket draped around his shoulders and said,  
>'You might want to get someone to take my clothes, he bled on me.'<br>James looked at Mr Jackson's jacket and shirt and noticed two distinct areas of blood splotches.  
>'Is any of it yours, Sir.'<br>'No. All his and not just from where I shot him; I think Jean may have broken his nose.'  
>For a moment, James felt a flash of exultation; she had marked him and they had his DNA so once they'd caught him he wouldn't be able to wriggle out of it. The exultation died as quickly as it had arisen as the thought of Jean Innocent unconscious with unknown injuries brought the black anger rising up again. Unable to speak, he nodded curtly at Mr Jackson and strode off towards the house, pausing only to send a SOCO to collect Mr Jackson's clothes.<p>

Robbie Lewis waited impatiently to be given the go ahead to go upstairs. There were scuff marks and blood droplets all the way up the stairs and it all had to be itemised and photographed before samples could be taken for analysis. Only after that, could they all troop up and down without contaminating the scene, even wearing the crime scene suits.  
>He had filled the time by checking the other rooms downstairs. The lounge had looked normal at first with files and Jean's laptop on the table in front of the sofa, but then Robbie had spotted the mobile phone on the floor and the overturned mug and the brown stain on the carpet. Glad he'd paused in the doorway, Robbie directed one of the SOCO's to the room, saying,<br>'We'll need her phone and laptop as soon as possible.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>Robbie left the officer to do his job and carried on walking through the ground floor. The dining room was empty and clearly in the process of being painted with dustsheets covering the carpet and paint tins and rollers in the corner of the room. Wandering on, the only other items of interest that he'd found were the dishes on the draining board in the kitchen; there was only one of everything so whoever had done this hadn't been invited to dinner.  
>By the time Laura Hobson was beckoning him to come ahead, James had rejoined him and was filling him in on what Mr Jackson had said as they picked their way to the top of the stairs together. Once James had finished, Robbie said,<br>'Get Hooper to alert all the local hospitals and medical centres; he may be forced to get treatment.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>James called DC Hooper then joined Robbie and Laura. Laura's face was pale and Robbie knew that she was struggling to maintain her professional demeanour. Laura and Jean had known each other for years and had recently become closer, partly due to Robbie's relationship with Laura. When they reached her, Laura said,  
>'This way.'<br>They followed her past more blood splotches into one of the bedrooms, stopping just inside the bedroom door. Laura let them look, merely warning them against touching the bed frame,  
>'It hasn't been fingerprinted yet.'<br>Robbie felt his gorge rising as he took in the ropes at each corner of the bed,  
>'She was tied down?'<br>'It looks like it, yes, and we think we've found what was used by her attacker.'  
>Laura handed Robbie an evidence bag containing a narrow leather belt. He grimaced and showed it to James, who said,<br>'How many years d'you think I'd get if I used it on him when we find him?'  
>'Too many,' said Robbie, 'Anything else, Doctor?'<br>'Yes…this.'  
>'This' was another evidence bag containing a soggy mass of material. Robbie looked at Laura questioningly and she said,<br>'I think it was used to gag her.'  
>'So she was tied down, gagged and beaten?' said James curtly.<br>'Her clothes were cut off her too,' said Laura quietly.  
>Robbie flinched and James stared into the middle distance trying to block out the images going through his mind. Laura put a hand on each of their arms and squeezed, saying,<br>'But then she escaped.'  
>'Impressive,' said Robbie, looking at the ropes on the bed again.<br>'So she ran towards the front door but he caught her,' said James.  
>'But just before he caught up, she threw something through the window knowing it would set off the silent alarm. So how did he get in?' asked Robbie.<br>'Either she let him in or he was lying in wait for her,' said James.  
>'Or he had a key and knew the alarm code,' pointed out Laura.<br>'Which brings us back to Mr Innocent,' said James.  
>'What did Mr Jackson say? Was it Innocent?' said Robbie.<br>'He wasn't sure. He thought probably not but admitted that he hasn't seen Mr Innocent for about three years.'  
>'Three years?'<br>'Apparently Mr Innocent's never here. Also, he and Chief Superintendent Innocent are getting divorced.'  
>'Are now divorced,' corrected Laura, 'Jean told me that the decree absolute came through last week.'<br>'I think we'd better have a word with Mr Innocent. Take a couple of uniforms and go and pick him up.'  
>'Yes, Sir,' said James with alacrity.<br>'And James,' and Robbie, 'I know you're angry but I don't want to find that Mr Innocent has come to any harm on his way to the station. Is that understood?'  
>'Yes, Sir. I wouldn't dream of it, Sir. That would be police brutality.'<br>'See you remember it.'  
>Robbie waited until James had left then asked,<br>'Was she raped?'  
>'I don't know, Robbie. I didn't examine her; I do dead people, remember? I can tell you that this was probably a sexually motivated attack though, and planned in advance.'<br>'Yes.'  
>'And not really typical of domestic violence.'<br>Robbie nodded acknowledgement and Laura continued,  
>'So I'd be slightly surprised if Simon Innocent is the culprit.'<br>'So would I but he's got to be ruled out and James needed to be doing something useful.'  
>'He's very angry.'<br>'Yes, well we all are.'  
>Laura put her arm around Robbie's waist and squeezed briefly, saying,<br>'You'll get him, Robbie.'  
>Robbie returned the hug for a moment before disengaging and saying,<br>'Has the rest of the upstairs been checked yet?'  
>'No. I'll let you know if we find anything else.'<br>'Thanks. I'll go to the hospital and see if there's any news.'  
>'If Jean's awake, give her my love.'<br>'Do you think she might be?'  
>'Impossible to tell without knowing what her injuries are, I'm afraid. See you later?'<br>'Yes, I don't know when though.'  
>Laura watched Robbie leaving, wishing that she could make him feel better. Looking bleakly at Jean Innocent's bedroom, she wished that there were a way to make herself feel better. Reminding herself that Jean was alive, Laura Hobson got back to work.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

James spoke quietly to the two uniformed officers with him as they walked towards Simon Innocent's door,  
>'We do this by the book. If he is the bastard who attacked Chief Superintendent Innocent then I don't want him getting off on a technicality. Clear?'<br>'Yes, Sarge.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>James knocked on the door and waited. After a few seconds he heard movement, then a pretty young woman opened the door and said,  
>'Yeah?'<br>James took out his warrant card and showed it to her, saying,  
>'Sergeant Hathaway, Oxfordshire Police. I'm looking for a Mr Simon Innocent. Is he in?'<br>'Yeah. Come in.'  
>She led them into the house, opening the first door on the right, saying,<br>'Si, it's the police.'  
>James followed her into the room and found himself looking at the elusive Mr Innocent for the first time. Simon Innocent was in his mid-fifties, slightly above average height, well-groomed and good-looking with brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing an expensive suit and looked tanned and relaxed. To James' disappointment, he didn't have a mark on him. He clearly couldn't have been the man at Jean Innocent's house. Reminding himself that he could have paid someone else to do his dirty work for him, James introduced himself and said,<br>'I wondered if you'd mind coming down to the station and answering a few questions, Sir.'  
>'What about?'<br>'Chief Superintendent Innocent was attacked earlier this evening, Sir.'  
>'So you automatically assume that her ex-husband did it?'<br>Simon Innocent's tone was patronising and James found himself longing to wipe the smug expression off his face.  
>'Did you, Sir?'<br>'No, I don't hit women, Sergeant, I fuck them. As often as possible.'  
>The obscenity made the young woman giggle and James realised that he needed to get her away from Simon Innocent before he asked for his whereabouts this evening to prevent them from colluding on an alibi. Glad that he'd brought WPC Julie Lockhart with him, he said,<br>'Would you mind going with WPC Lockhart, Miss? I need to ask Mr Innocent a few questions on his own.'  
>The young woman looked disappointed but left the room with Julie. James went into the hallway and murmured to Julie,<br>'Find out what her relationship with Innocent is and how long they've known each other. And check what Innocent's been doing this evening.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>Returning to the lounge, James said,  
>'Would you mind telling me where you've been this evening, Sir?'<br>'I came here straight from work and I've been here all evening. Katie will confirm it.'  
>'What time did you leave work?'<br>'Around six.'  
>'So you would have been home by when, Sir?'<br>'About six-thirty. We ate at seven, then watched television.'  
>'Thank you, Sir,'<br>James paused but he'd been told to bring Simon Innocent in so he said,  
>'We do have some further questions if you wouldn't mind accompanying us to the station.'<br>For a moment, James thought that he was going to refuse but then he shrugged, saying,  
>'Let's get it over with.'<br>As Simon Innocent put on his coat and shoes, James carefully concealed his relief; if Simon Innocent had refused to come voluntarily they had no grounds on which to make him come with them. WPC Lockhart and Katie came out of the kitchen and Simon Innocent walked over to Katie and kissed her on the lips, pulling her to him and cupping her buttocks before saying,  
>'Don't wait up, Kitty-Cat. Knowing how slowly the minds of the constabulary function, I'll no doubt be some time.'<br>'Okay, Si-bear.'  
>James kept his face still by a major effort of willpower. Behind them WPC Lockhart looked nauseous. Biting back what he longed to say James led the way back to the cars.<p>

Robbie navigated his way through the John Radcliffe Hospital with the ease of experience and found Jean Innocent in a side ward, protected by two uniformed officers. Jean was attached to various monitors and a drip but Robbie was relieved to notice that there were no plaster casts and the only obvious bandage was around her head although every exposed piece of skin that he could see except for her face was covered in bruises. She was unconscious and Robbie was about to leave when he remembered what he'd been told about people in comas being able to hear what was said to them, so instead he walked to the head of the bed and said quietly,  
>'Robbie Lewis, Ma'am. You're in hospital. I don't know if you remember but you were attacked. We're all looking for your attacker and there's a guard posted by your door so you're safe. I've got to go now but I'll pop back as soon as I can.'<br>Then he went to the nurses' station and said,  
>'Inspector Lewis, Oxfordshire Police. I was wondering how Chief Superintendent Innocent was getting on.'<br>The nurse looked up from the notes she was updating and shot him a harassed look, saying,  
>'Are you a relative?'<br>'No, I'm the officer in charge of investigating the attack. Is she going to be okay?'  
>'Her condition is stable, Inspector. I'm afraid that if you want any more information, you'll have to get permission from her next of kin.'<br>'Who is her next of kin, please?'  
>'Christopher Innocent, her son.'<br>Robbie nodded thoughtfully, thinking that Chris, being a copper, should be easy to approach.  
>'Has he been informed?'<br>'I believe so.'  
>Robbie looked at the exhausted expression on the nurse's face and knew that there was no point pressing for more information. Luckily, he had another way to find out what he needed to know. Walking back towards his car, he called Laura. She answered almost immediately, saying,<br>'Robbie. I was just about to call you.'  
>'What have you found?'<br>'There's evidence of someone lying in wait in the smallest of the bedrooms upstairs at the back of the house; some food wrappers and empty drink cans.'  
>'So he got in during the day sometime and waited for her to get home?'<br>'Looks like it. We also found a bag with some more rope, a mallet, some pliers and two hammers in it. The mallet has blood and hair on it.'  
>Robbie frowned as the implications of the bag's contents sunk in,<br>'Thank God she managed to escape.'  
>'Yes. The man who did this is very dangerous, Robbie. You need to catch him before he finds a new target.'<br>'Yes.'  
>There was a brief pause then Laura said,<br>'Now, why were you ringing me?'  
>'The nurse would only tell me that Jean is stable. Can you…?'<br>'I'll ring around and see what I can find out.'  
>'Thanks, Laura.'<br>'Robbie…'  
>'Yes?'<br>'Be careful.'  
>'You too.'<br>Robbie rang off and headed back to the station to talk to Simon Innocent, wishing that he could believe that it was going to be a domestic dispute. Unfortunately, it was looking less and less like something as straightforward as that.


	4. Chapter 4

James installed Simon Innocent in an interview room then went to the detectives' offices. He found Hooper filling in a white board and nodded approvingly, saying,  
>'What do we know so far?'<br>'The chief superintendent left work at six-fifteen. CCTV footage from the car park shows her getting into her car alone. I haven't pulled footage from traffic cameras yet, Sir, as I wasn't sure what we were looking for.'  
>'No, leave it for now. We know she got home safely. Are there any cameras near her house?'<br>'There's one at the Red Lion, Sir, but that's over a quarter of a mile away. Otherwise, the next nearest one's at Sainsbury's.'  
>'Send someone to ask for a copy of the footage from the Red Lion. It's probably a waste of time but get someone to check it anyway.'<br>'Yes, Sarge.'  
>'Anything from any of the hospitals or medical centres?'<br>'No, Sir, but would he risk it?'  
>'He may have no choice. The neighbour shot him in the hand and nicked his ear with his air rifle and he thinks that the chief super broke her attacker's nose.'<br>'Good.'  
>Hooper's voice was filled with dark triumph and for a moment he and James shared a look of complete understanding.<br>'Mr Innocent is waiting for Inspector Lewis in Interview Room One. He doesn't have a mark on him but he could have paid someone to do it so I want you to start looking into his background.'  
>'Yes, Sarge.'<br>'Is Gurdip in?'  
>'No, Sir. Do you want me to call him?'<br>'No, I will. You get started on Innocent's background; Inspector Lewis is going to want it as soon as he's back. Grey?'  
>'Yes, Sir?'<br>'This could be someone with a grudge. Start looking into Chief Superintendent Innocent's past cases. Find out if anyone who made threats has been released recently.'  
>'Yes, Sir,' said DC Grey looking a bit daunted.<br>'Start with ones where she was the arresting officer, particularly where violence against women was involved.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<p>

James left them to get started and went into the office he shared with Robbie and shut the door. He sat down at his computer and switched it on, staring unseeingly at the screen as his guts churned and his eyes prickled with tears. Swearing under his breath, he took out his phone and dialled Gurdip Sohal's number. Gurdip answered on the second ring, saying in an aggrieved tone,  
>'Sarge?'<br>'You're needed here; Chief Superintendent Innocent's been attacked.'  
>There was a shocked intake of breath then Gurdip said,<br>'Is she all right?'  
>'Alive but unconscious. Don't know how bad yet.'<br>'I'm on my way.'  
>Gurdip rang off without another word, which didn't surprise James at all; everyone knew that Gurdip had a huge crush on Jean Innocent. He'd rung Gurdip himself precisely for that reason, so that if Gurdip said anything embarrassing it wouldn't get round the squad room.<br>Thinking about Gurdip's crush led naturally on to thinking about Jean Innocent and James quietly vowed that whoever had  
>done this would pay for it.<p>

James was jerked out of his introspection by a knock at the door,  
>'Come in.'<br>Julie Lockhart came in and said,  
>'Summary of my discussion with Simon Innocent's girlfriend, Sarge.'<br>Julie handed James a piece of paper and waited whilst he scanned it. Katie Williams confirmed that Simon Innocent had arrived home at around six-thirty and hadn't left the house afterwards. James was about to thank Julie and give her another job when he read Katie's answers about her and Mr Innocent's relationship; they had been in a sexual relationship for two years. Pursing his lips, James said,  
>'How old do you think Katie Williams is?'<br>'I'm not sure, Sarge; seventeen?'  
>'That's what I thought. See if you can find out her exact age.'<br>'Sarge?'  
>'She says that she and Innocent have been together for two years.'<br>Julie's eyes snapped up to his in revolted comprehension and she said,  
>'Sorry, Sir, I should have asked for her date of birth.'<br>'If necessary go back to the house and ask but she had an Oxford accent, you may be able to find her on the system.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>Julie left and James started searching for mentions of Jean Innocent on the web, looking for anyone who might be angry enough to want to hurt her.

When Robbie walked into the station DI Peterson immediately waylaid him, saying,  
>'Any news, Robbie?'<br>'Stable is all the hospital would tell me. Laura's going to see what she can find out.'  
>'But she's going to live?'<br>'I think so. She wasn't in Intensive Care. I'll call you when I know more.'  
>He made it as far as the stairs before being stopped again, this time by Inspector Winters, his counterpart in the uniformed branch,<br>'Robbie, any progress?'  
>'We've brought her ex-husband in for questioning but it doesn't look like a domestic.'<br>'I've informed the Chief Constable; he's asked for regular updates.'  
>Robbie frowned but nodded, realising that contact between himself and the Chief Constable was inevitable since Jean was no longer here to act as a buffer between them,<br>'If he calls you again, Mike, tell him I'll call him as soon as I've got any news.'  
>'Will do. Let me know if you need anything, Robbie. I can juggle the rota to give you as many people as you want.'<br>'Thanks, Mike. Appreciate it.'  
>As Robbie entered the detectives' offices the room went silent as everyone waited for him to speak. He told them the little he knew then went into his office to find James. As he entered James looked up and said,<br>'Sir?'  
>'Stable.'<br>'Stable?'  
>'Not helpful, I know, but she's not in intensive care so that's better than it might be.'<br>Some of the tension left James' face and Robbie continued, wanting to reassure James,  
>'Laura's going to find out more but it didn't look as though she had any broken bones.'<br>James nodded silently and Robbie resisted the temptation to ask him if he were all right. James' face was a blank mask and his whole body was rigid with tension; he clearly wasn't all right. But then who was? Jean Innocent was a popular boss. Yes, she played politics and yes, she could tear a strip off you if you earned her wrath, but she always backed up her officers both with the public and with the Chief Constable. And gradually over the years, Robbie had come to trust her and like her and now he considered her a friend. She came to the pub with them sometimes and last year she'd come to Laura's New Year's Eve party (and she'd retreated with him and James when the doctors had had enough to drink to start telling medical jokes; disturbing didn't even begin to cover it). Forcing his personal feelings aside, he said,  
>'What did Mr Innocent have to say for himself?'<br>'He was at home all evening with his girlfriend.'  
>'Any sign of injury?'<br>'No but he's the sort that would pay someone else to do his dirty work for him anyway.'  
>'Motive?'<br>'Possibly something to do with the girlfriend, Sir. I've got Julie looking into it but it's possible that Mr Innocent started a sexual relationship with her when she was underage. I can't imagine Chief Superintendent Innocent letting that go, can you?'  
>'No but did she know about it?'<br>'No way of knowing, Sir, but presumably it was his relationship with Katie that triggered the divorce. Knowing the chief super, it seems unlikely that she wouldn't have investigated.'  
>'All right. Let me know what you find.'<br>'Yes, Sir. Hooper's digging up general background on Simon Innocent.'  
>'What else?'<br>'Grey is looking into her past cases in case it's someone with a grudge and I've just started looking into her public life in case there's anything there. And Gurdip's on his way in.'  
>Robbie nodded and thought for a minute before saying,<br>'Get Julie to help Grey once she's found out what you need to know. If it's not the husband then someone with a grudge is the most likely.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>'And make sure that Gurdip gets her laptop and phone as soon as SOCO release it.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>'Where's Mr Innocent now?'  
>'In Interview Room One, Sir.'<br>'How did he strike you, James?'  
>'Very Oxford, Sir.'<br>'Best put on me best Geordie accent then.'  
>James smirked as he realised that Robbie was going to play one of his favourite roles, thick Northern copper. You'd think by now that word would have got around the Oxford elite but they were fooled time and again into assuming that Robbie wasn't very bright. Right up to the moment when he tore their lies apart and solved the case.<p>

Robbie walked into Interview Room One and said,  
>'Inspector Lewis. Sorry to keep you waiting, Sir. Would you like a hot drink, Sir?'<br>'I've had one. Look, can we get on with it?'  
>'Of course, Sir. Just a few questions.'<br>Robbie sat down and opened the hastily assembled file on Simon Innocent. So far, all it contained was details of his criminal record (none), his alibi and a very sketchy employment history. Simon Innocent had got a first in economics from Magdalen College, Oxford, had done postgraduate studies for a few years, then had got a job in the finance sector, working for one of the big merchant banks. In recent years he'd spent a lot of time in Hong Kong and New York. Robbie turned on the tape recorder, stated who was present then picked up the report on Simon Innocent's movements and said,  
>'I understand that you were home all evening, Mr Innocent?'<br>'Yes, that's right.'  
>'And this has been confirmed by a Miss Katie Williams?'<br>'My girlfriend, yes. We were together all evening from about six-thirty onwards.'  
>'Have you been together long?'<br>'About two years.'  
>'Even though you were still married until recently?'<br>'Jean and my marriage was falling apart and well, you know what Jean's like; I wanted someone… who understands me.'  
>'Understands you, Sir?'<br>'Katie and I understand each other on a deep spiritual level. Something I can't imagine you'd understand.'  
>Robbie ignored Simon Innocent's attempt to patronise him, merely feeling faintly nauseous on Katie's behalf,<br>'Really, Sir? I'd have thought the age gap might cause problems.'  
>'Not at all. I find it helps in fact. Katie understands how important I am and that my needs have to come first. I'm a busy man, Inspector, I haven't got time to fit in with someone else's career.'<br>Robbie concealed his distaste behind a bland expression whilst wondering what on Earth Jean Innocent could have possibly seen in the sexist idiot in front of him.  
>'And Jean isn't getting any younger,' continued Simon Innocent, 'Really, who wants a women in her forties when you can have a teenager instead? So, when Katie made it clear that she was interested in me, I jumped at it.'<br>Robbie resisted the temptation to point out to him that older women make better lovers as well as more interesting companions, knowing that Simon Innocent was too immature and too inadequate to understand. Instead he decided to reinforce Simon's view of the police by playing another stereotype, the rigid stuck-in-the-mud. Looking faintly disapproving, he said,  
>'And committing adultery didn't bother you, Sir?'<br>'No. Why should it? And what business is it of yours anyway? Adultery isn't a crime any more.'  
>'No, Sir. So, how is your relationship with your ex-wife now?'<br>'Cool. She wasn't very happy that I'd cheated on her and I wasn't very happy that she got the house in the divorce.'  
>'No, I don't suppose you were, Sir. How much is that house worth? It must be upwards of half a million, surely?'<br>'Six hundred and fifty thousand pounds.'  
>'You must have been very angry about that.'<br>'A bit.'  
>Simon Innocent tried to look nonchalant but it was clear that losing the house still rankled. Robbie calmly asked,<br>'Angry enough to hire someone to beat her up?'  
>'No!'<br>'We will find him you know. It would be much better to confess now. If you tell us his name then I can have a word with the CPS, perhaps get your sentence reduced.'  
>'I didn't do it. I would never hurt a woman.'<br>'Not even if it would get you the house?'  
>'No, and besides, it wouldn't. The decree absolute came through a few days ago; I'm no longer Jean's next of kin. Chris gets everything if Jean dies; perhaps you should be checking his alibi. Or is he exempt because he's a police officer?'<br>'No, Sir, no one's exempt and we will be checking your son's alibi too. However, women are attacked by their ex partners far more often than they are by their sons.'  
>'That may be true but not on this occasion. I didn't attack Jean nor did I hire someone to do so.'<br>Robbie looked steadily at Simon Innocent as he tried to decide whether or not he believed him.


	5. Chapter 5

James looked up as Julie came in and said,  
>'What have you found out?'<br>'I think I've found her, Sarge, Katie Emily Williams, born 28th October 1996.'  
>'Which makes her seventeen. Do you have a previous address for her?'<br>'Yes, Sir. She lived with her mum before moving in with Mr Innocent.'  
>Julie handed him a piece of paper with an address written on it and James surged to his feet as he took it,<br>'Good work, Julie.'  
>'Thank you, Sir.'<br>'Go and help DC Grey look through Superintendent Innocent's past cases, please. You're looking for someone who made threats against her and has since been released.'  
>'Yes, Sarge.'<br>Julie left and James followed her out.

James knocked on the door to Interview Room One, then poked his head round the door and said,  
>'Sir?'<br>Robbie took one look at his face and said,  
>'Interview suspended at eleven twenty-eight pm.'<br>He switched off the tape recorder and went outside to where James was waiting. James quietly said,  
>'I think we've got him, Sir. Katie Williams is only seventeen.'<br>Robbie looked at Katie's date of birth thoughtfully,  
>'She's nearly eighteen. Innocent said that they'd been together for 'about two years'; that could mean anything from eighteen months upwards.'<br>'Still, we have a duty of care, don't we, Sir?'  
>'Go on.'<br>'If we let him go back to Katie when we suspect that it might be an abusive relationship, aren't we failing our duty of care towards Katie?'  
>'It's a bit thin.'<br>'It's enough to keep him in though, Sir, which would give us time to look into other motives.'  
>'He's admitted to being angry that Jean got the house in the divorce.'<br>'And divorce brings out the worst in people.'  
>'All right but he'll lawyer up so I need you to bring in Katie first thing in the morning before his lawyer has a chance to get to her.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'

Robbie went back into Interview Room One and said,  
>'Simon Innocent, I am arresting you on suspicion of child sex offences. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not say something that you later rely on in court...'<br>'What? That's ridiculous!'  
>Simon Innocent appeared genuinely astonished but Robbie was unmoved; Simon Innocent was the sort of man who believed that he was entitled to do what he chose. If he had had sex with Katie before she was sixteen, he would have completely justified it to himself.<br>'We'll discuss it in the morning, Sir.'  
>Robbie nodded to the PC standing by the door and said,<br>'Take Mr Innocent to the Custody Sergeant, please.'  
>Robbie rejoined James outside, who said,<br>'What next, Sir?'  
>'Coffee first and then an update.'<br>'Yes, Sir. The kebab place should still be open.'

Once they'd collected coffees they walked slowly back, quietly discussing the case,  
>'How did Mr Innocent strike you, Sir?'<br>'Arrogant, selfish and immature but I'm not convinced it was him.'  
>'Did he ask you how the chief super was?'<br>'No. Didn't he ask you?'  
>'No.'<br>'Married for over twenty years but doesn't even ask how badly she's hurt… we keep digging.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>They were almost back at the office when Robbie's mobile rang. As Robbie squinted at his phone, James noted with weary amusement that Laura now had her own ring tone. They perched on a wall as Robbie answered,  
>'Laura. Any news?'<br>'A little; some good news in fact.'  
>'Hang on, I'll put you on speaker; James is with me.'<br>Robbie pushed the relevant controls and James said,  
>'Hello, Laura.'<br>'Hello, James. I was able to have a quick chat with the doctor who treated Jean in A&E. No broken bones and no sign of any recent sexual activity.'  
>'Thank God,' said James, feeling something inside him relax.<br>'Good,' said Robbie, 'What else?'  
>'On the negative side, she's covered in bruises from her shoulders to her feet and she suffered two blows to the head. One is minor and not expected to cause any problems, the second could potentially be more serious though the x-rays and the CT scan showed no skull fracture or subdural haematoma. She's in an induced coma at the moment though if she has another clear scan tomorrow, they'll probably let her regain consciousness.'<br>'Prognosis?'  
>'Full recovery in the long term. In the short term a lot of pain and possibly some retrograde amnesia. As well as any problems caused by the trauma.'<br>'Thanks, Laura.'  
>'No problem, Robbie; I wanted to know too. I'm heading home now.'<br>'Don't wait up for me; I don't know how much longer I'm going to be.'  
>'Okay. I'll put your pyjamas in the bathroom.'<br>'Thanks, Pet.'  
>'Bye.'<br>'Bye.'  
>Feeling giddy with relief from the news that Jean would make a full recovery, James couldn't resist saying,<br>'So, do you have matching pyjamas, Sir?'  
>Robbie looked blankly at James for a moment then smiled, saying,<br>'Don't be daft, man; Laura's are much smaller than mine.'  
>James went to correct Robbie but then realised that Robbie had been deliberately obtuse, hoping to get a rise out of him. Smirking, James said,<br>'I'm sure Doctor Hobson doesn't hold the size of your pyjamas against you, Sir.'  
>'No, she said she rather liked me in them actually. And out of them.'<br>'Thank you for that image, Sir.'  
>'You're welcome, Sergeant.'<br>Robbie grinned broadly as James blushed. Pleased to have won for once, Robbie started walking again.

Arriving back at the office, Robbie looked at his team, noting how weary they all were. He considered telling them Laura's diagnosis but decided to wait until they knew about the head injury; experience had taught him that good news should wait till it was certain. Instead he said,  
>'Anything new?'<br>'We've already found eight people who made threats against Chief Superintendent Innocent and have since been released, Sir, and we've only been looking for an hour,' said DC Grey, sounding overwhelmed.  
>Robbie nodded and said,<br>'I'll get you some more help.'  
>'Thank you, Sir.'<br>'Anyone else need anything?'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>'Yes, Gurdip?'  
>'SOCO have released the chief superintendent's laptop and phone to me, Sir, but I need her permission or her next of kin's permission before accessing them.'<br>Robbie looked at Gurdip blankly for a moment before realising that he was right; Jean was alive so they didn't have the automatic right to access her emails and phone calls.  
>'Right. James, get on to Chris' nick and get them to give you his mobile number and give him a call. And while you're at it, see if his sergeant knows where he was earlier this evening.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>Robbie called Inspector Winters and arranged for four more uniformed officers to come and help Grey going through Jean's back cases, then he went into his office to try to think.<p>

Ten minutes later, James came in and said,  
>'Chris Innocent is on lates this week, he was on patrol with a partner from two o'clock this afternoon until the hospital called.'<br>'Good.'  
>'When I rang Chris it went straight to voicemail. Either he's turned it off or he's in a dead spot. Do you want me to see if he's at the hospital, Sir?'<br>'I should go.'  
>James looked at the fatigue on Robbie's face and closed the door before saying formally,<br>'With respect, Sir, you should update the Chief Constable and then go home and get some rest.'  
>'With respect? Bloody hell, James, what's got into you?'<br>'Sorry, Sir, it must have been something I ate.'  
>Robbie relaxed as James returned to his usual sarcastic, on-the-edge-of-impertinence tone.<br>'See it doesn't happen again. I thought I'd entered the Twilight Zone for a minute then.'  
>The two men smiled briefly at each other then Robbie said,<br>'I suppose I'll have to speak to the Chief Constable…'  
>'Better now than later.'<br>Robbie thought for a moment then said decisively,  
>'Right. You go to the hospital and ask Chris Innocent for permission to access the chief superintendent's laptop and phone. Once you've done that, you get some rest too.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>'Send Hooper home too and tell Grey to brief the troops then go home himself.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>James passed the messages on but was not surprised to see a complete lack of movement from Hooper and Grey. He had suggested that Robbie go home because Robbie had the enviable gift of being able to totally detach from work, so might actually be able to sleep. James was under no illusions about himself; there was no possibility at all of him getting any sleep tonight so he might as well do something useful and he suspected that Hooper and Grey were the same.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Robbie gritted his teeth and scrolled through the police force directory until he found the Chief Constable's out-of-hours number. Collecting his thoughts, he dialled. It was answered after just two rings,  
>'Hello.'<br>'Inspector Lewis, Sir. I'm calling to update you.'  
>'Good. First, how's Jean?'<br>Robbie paused then said,  
>'Officially, Sir, we've only been told that she's stable…'<br>'Unofficially?'  
>'She's expected to make a full recovery as long as the head injuries don't cause problems.'<br>'Thank goodness. She's a very fine officer and a good person; it's a dreadful thing to have happened.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>Robbie could hear the sincerity in the Chief Constable's voice and was glad that their superior officer was a man who actually cared not just some political seat warmer.  
>'What's the news on the case?'<br>Robbie filled him in on the little they had and explained that they had Simon Innocent in custody,  
>'I'd be surprised if it was him,' said the Chief Constable, 'He always seemed like a bit of a lightweight to me. Not up to Jean's level at all.'<br>'He certainly wasn't the person wielding the weapon but he could have paid someone to do it, Sir.'  
>'What motive does he have?'<br>'Chief Superintendent Innocent got the house in the divorce and there's a question regarding the age of Mr Innocent's girlfriend when they started their sexual relationship. If she was underage and if the chief superintendent found out about it, I can't imagine her looking the other way.'  
>'No, absolutely not. Divorces can bring out the worst in people…and I did hear a couple of rumours about Simon…'<br>'Yes, Sir?'  
>'All hearsay, of course…'<br>'Of course, Sir.'  
>'There were rumours that his current girlfriend wasn't his first affair and that he didn't behave very well over the divorce.'<br>'I see, Sir. We'll look into it.'  
>'If you need any help with anything, let me know.'<br>'Thank you, Sir.'  
>'Carry on.'<br>'Sir.'  
>The Chief Constable rang off and Robbie thought about what he'd said. They definitely needed to do some more digging into Simon Innocent's life.<p>

James walked into the side ward and stopped dead. He'd thought that he had prepared himself for the sight of Jean Innocent bruised and unconscious but the reality was like a kick in the guts. Seeing her hurt and vulnerable in a hospital bed made James feel physically sick and he was glad that his last meal had been several hours ago. As he gazed at Jean's face wishing that she would wake up and make some acerbic comment about something, he felt the anger that had been simmering for several hours congeal into hatred for the man who had done this. He knew that he wouldn't stop looking until they'd found Jean's attacker and that when they did, he would find a way to get revenge.  
>There was a movement from beside the bed and James turned to see a distraught young man in a police constable's uniform standing up. Extending a hand to him, James said,<br>'DS James Hathaway. Are you Chris Innocent?'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>'How is she?'  
>'No broken bones but she's in an induced coma because of the blow to her head. They'll know more tomorrow, apparently.'<br>'I'm sure she'll be fine,' said James awkwardly, 'She's a very strong woman.'  
>'Yes… Do you know who did it?'<br>Chris' voice was full of rage and James let his own rage show as he said,  
>'No, not yet.'<br>'What can I do?'  
>'We need permission to access your mother's laptop and phone.'<br>Chris winced and James continued,  
>'I promise that only Gurdip Sohal, who's our computer guy, myself and DI Lewis will have general access.'<br>'You do know she's going to kill me, don't you?'  
>James' mouth curled up as Chris smiled ruefully, and James said dryly,<br>'We'll buy you a nice wreath.'  
>'You really need to?'<br>'Yes, we need to find out if she's had any threatening messages or emails.'  
>'All right. But only what you have to look at.'<br>'Understood. Thank you, Sir.'  
>Chris looked slightly puzzled at the honorific and then grimaced as he realised that he wasn't going to be allowed to be part of the investigation; he was too close to it. Feeling angry and upset, he rubbed the back of his neck. James looked sympathetically at him and said,<br>'Why don't you go and get a coffee? I can stay here until you get back.'  
>'Thanks.'<br>Chris left and James went to the head of the bed and looked down at Jean Innocent. He went to speak to her but found that his voice wouldn't work. Swallowing hard, he managed to say,  
>'It's James, Ma'am. I'm just staying with you whilst your son gets a coffee. I'm sorry about accessing your laptop and phone, Ma'am, but we really need to know if anyone's been threatening you or stalking you.'<br>James lapsed into silence. Normally, she'd be demanding an update at this point and reminding them to hurry before the press got hold of anything but instead she was the victim and James felt as though his world had turned upside down.  
>He stood and gazed at her until Chris returned then left, saying goodbye quietly to Chris and the uniformed officers at the door.<br>On the way back to his car he rang Gurdip to let him know that they had permission to access Chief Superintendent Innocent's laptop and phone,  
>'Right, Sarge, I'll get started straight away.'<br>'Good. Only things relevant to the case and I promised Chris Innocent that only you, I and Inspector Lewis would have access so make sure you lock them every time you leave your desk. Understood?'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>'And Gurdip…'  
>'Yes, Sarge?'<br>'No doubt someone will approach you and try to get you to tell them what the chief super has on her laptop…'  
>'I would never breach the confidentiality rules, Sir.'<br>'I know. But feel free to tell them that Inspector Lewis and I have threatened you with indescribable pain if you talk if you need to get them off your back.'  
>'Thank you, Sir.'<br>James knew that one or two of the more immature people at the station would think it hilarious to try and find out the contents of Jean Innocent's laptop just out of sheer infantile stupidity and Gurdip didn't deserve to be bullied by them.  
>'Call me rather than Inspector Lewis if you find anything tonight.'<br>'Yes, Sarge.'  
>'I'll be back at the station later.'<br>James drove back into town but instead of going straight to the station, he drove to the supermarket to pick up food and drinks to keep them all awake.

Robbie let himself into Laura's cottage quietly and slipped his shoes off so that he wouldn't make any noise. He went upstairs, used the bathroom and changed into the pyjamas that Laura had left out. Laura always left a lamp on at the top of the stairs for when she was called out in the middle of the night, so Robbie was able to slip into the bedroom without turning a light on. When he got into bed, she rolled over towards him and he automatically opened his arms to her even as he apologised,  
>'Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.'<br>'You didn't. I haven't been able to get to sleep. My professional detachment seems to have failed me this time.'  
>'Well, it's not an ordinary case, is it? Jean's one of ours and a friend besides.'<br>'Yes…' whispered Laura.  
>Laura's voice hitched and then she was crying. Robbie held her and rubbed her back, burying his face in Laura's hair as his own tears fell. Eventually, they fell asleep, holding each other.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: This chapter is dedicated to klswhite - I hope it makes you laugh. :)**

James looked thoughtfully at the posts that he had found. He had been following Jean Innocent's internet footprint and for the most part it had been very dull, just reports of meetings and functions that she had attended. Then he had followed a link with Jean's name in it, which had led him to a website dedicated to MILF's. He had not been surprised to find that Jean qualified as a 'Mother I'd Like to Fuck'; she was extremely sexy and the objectification of women was still common. The comments on that forum had been coarse but not disturbing but a link from the forum had led to another forum and from there to a private chat room where one particular user, Phil872, had described in far too much detail what he wanted to do to Jean Innocent. Phil872 seemed to be into BDSM in a big way and had suggested that he didn't care whether Jean was a willing participant or not. In all probability, Phil872 was just fantasising, masturbating over his laptop at the idea of having a powerful woman at his mercy but with no intention of actually doing anything about it. However, verbalising a fantasy was sometimes the first step to acting it out; it would have to be checked. James made a note of the details and took it in to Gurdip, saying,  
>'Something for you to check after you've finished with the laptop and phone. I want to know who this guy is and where he lives.'<br>Gurdip took the piece of paper from James and said,  
>'Yes, Sarge.'<br>'Any progress?'  
>'Some. I've got through the first two layers of protection on Chief Superintendent Innocent's laptop, which has given me access to her normal files. I should have access to her emails in a few minutes, Sir.'<br>'Good. And her phone?'  
>'I'll do that next, Sir.'<br>'Good, keep at it.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>James went back to his computer and dived back into his internet search.

An hour later, Gurdip came in, carrying Jean Innocent's laptop and said,  
>'You need to see these, Sir.'<br>'These' were three emails from Simon Innocent to his ex-wife, sent during the divorce proceedings. All three were extremely nasty and in the last two, Simon Innocent threatened to make Jean Innocent 'sorry she had ever been born' if she didn't drop her claim on the house.  
>'Good work, Gurdip. Print these off and I'll show them to Inspector Lewis as soon as he gets in.'<br>'Don't you want to bring Simon Innocent in?'  
>'He's already in the cells.'<br>'What's he like?'  
>'An immature arsehole,' said James.<br>'Why do amazing women always end up with arseholes?'  
>'I don't know. But she's not with him now; they're divorced.'<br>'Good. Maybe she'll find someone who appreciates her now.'  
>Gurdip's tone was wistful and James smiled sympathetically, saying,<br>'We can only hope so, Gurdip.'  
>Gurdip was younger than Chris Innocent so James didn't think that he stood any chance with Jean but James saw no reason to trample on his dreams; sometimes they were all that people had.<br>James turned his attention back to the computer screen as Gurdip went back to his desk, barely aware of the words blurring as his eyes closed.

Two hours later, Gurdip was finally able to access Chief Superintendent Innocent's phone. It had taken all of his considerable skill to get in; Jean Innocent took security seriously and had multiple layers of protection on her phone. However, his place as tech wizard was still safe; he had finally cracked it. With a satisfied smile, Gurdip started checking her texts and voicemails.  
>It was five o'clock in the morning by the time that Gurdip was convinced that he'd got everything relevant from Chief Superintendent Innocent's phone and computer. Locking the computer, he picked up the phone and left his office. Hooper and Grey were away from their desks but several uniformed officers were working at Grey's desk.<br>'Any news from the hospital?' asked Gurdip.  
>'Not that we've heard,' replied one of them, 'but DS Hathaway might have heard something. He's still in his office.'<br>'Thanks.'  
>Gurdip knocked on the door and went in. James was asleep in his chair, leaning back with his mouth slightly open and looking extremely uncomfortable. Mindful of James' leaving do in a couple of weeks time, Gurdip took out his phone and took a couple of photos before clearing his throat noisily and saying,<br>'Sir?'  
>James woke slowly, looking blearily at Gurdip and saying,<br>'You'd better have something, Gurdip, otherwise I'm not going to be responsible for my own actions.'  
>'Voicemails from Simon Innocent to the chief super, Sarge.'<br>James scrubbed his hands across his face, took a drink of his now cold coffee, groaned and said,  
>'Right. Let's hear them.'<br>'This is the first one…'  
>Gurdip pressed the relevant buttons and Simon Innocent's voice filled the office, spouting obscenities, calling Jean a variety of unpleasant names and demanding that she agree to split the value of the house with him or else.<br>James and Gurdip exchanged disgusted looks then Gurdip said,  
>'This is the second one. Chief Superintendent Innocent hadn't listened to this one, Sir.'<br>The second voicemail was more of the same but with a nastier more threatening tone. Once it had finished, James said,  
>'Mr Innocent certainly has some explaining to do. Good work, Gurdip. Get those to Inspector Lewis as soon as he gets in.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>Gurdip left and James stood up and stretched, feeling wretched. It was time for a shower, shave, breakfast and clean clothes. Then he needed to pick up Katie Williams and bring her in for a chat. Grabbing his phone, James headed home.<p>

Robbie swore under his breath as he saw the reporter from the Oxford Post waiting by the front door of the station; he'd hoped to have a few hours longer before the press got hold of the news. Adopting a deliberately neutral expression, Robbie walked straight towards the door, hoping to get by before he was recognised. However, the reporter pounced as soon as he saw Robbie, saying,  
>'Any comment, Inspector Lewis?'<br>'Comment on what?' replied Robbie cautiously.  
>If they hadn't heard about the attack on Jean he wasn't going to be the one who told them.<br>'On the attack on Chief Superintendent Innocent.'  
>'There'll be a press conference later, Jim.'<br>'Can't I have something for the early issue?'  
>Robbie thought for a moment then said,<br>'Chief Superintendent Innocent was attacked yesterday evening at her home and is now recovering in hospital. Her assailant is believed to have been a white male, aged twenty-five to fifty, about five foot eleven and average build and is believed to have been injured during the attack. If anyone saw anything suspicious or has any information relating to the attack please contact the police… You've got all our numbers, haven't you?'  
>'Yes.'<br>'That do you?'  
>'How badly injured is the Chief Superintendent?'<br>'Sorry, I'm not at liberty to release that information.'  
>'Inspector…?'<br>'Sorry,' said Robbie, cutting across the reporter's next question, 'I've got to get on.'  
>Robbie side stepped the reporter and went into the station, heaving a sigh of relief as the desk officer buzzed him in.<br>Half way up the stairs, he met James coming down,  
>'Morning James, where're you off to?'<br>'Morning, Sir. Breakfast and then I was going to go and ask Katie Williams if she'd mind coming in for a chat.'  
>Robbie had had tea and toast with Laura but the thought of a bacon butty made his mouth water so he said,<br>'I'll join you. You can update me while we eat.'

They'd collected their food and were waiting to pay when the overnight Custody Sergeant came in. He picked up a sandwich and a mug of tea and joined the queue behind them, saying,  
>'Morning, Sir, Hathaway.'<br>'Morning, Rick,' said Robbie and James smiled and nodded at Sergeant Richard Wilson.  
>'You off home then?' asked Robbie.<br>'Yes but the wife asked me to pop in to B&Q on the way home so I thought I'd have a snack first. I left Mr Innocent tucked up snugly for you.'  
>'He give you any problems?'<br>'Wanted to ring his solicitor immediately; got the answer phone of course but it made him feel happier. He wasn't very happy about having to empty out his pockets though; I think he was worried that someone was going to nick his little blue pills. He had a full bottle of them in his jacket pocket.'  
>Rick and James exchanged smirks. Preoccupied with the case, Robbie failed to make the connection and said,<br>'Why would anyone want to steal his medication?'  
>'Little blue pills, Sir? Viagra?' said James.<br>'Oh, right. What? At his age?'  
>'It would appear so,' said James, 'And may I say, Sir, how reassuring it is to know that your vigour is undiminished with age. You're an inspiration to us all.'<br>'No you may not!' said Robbie, glaring at James in amused horror as he heard the sniggers from the people within earshot, 'Cheeky bugger! I'll give you bloody inspiration! Eat your breakfast then get some damn work done!'  
>'Yes, Sir,' said James, smiling.<br>Robbie paid for his bacon butty and sat next to James, shaking his head ruefully as he saw the amused smiles being directed his way. It was going to be a long time before he lived this one down.  
>'Remind me to find a way to thank you for that one, James.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>As they ate James updated Robbie with what he and Gurdip had found overnight. When he had finished Robbie said,<br>'Threatening voicemails and emails; Simon Innocent's got some explaining to do.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>'And this BDSM fantasist looks like a possible too. Has Gurdip found him yet?'  
>'I don't know, Sir. I left him to it after he'd played me the voicemails from Chief Superintendent Innocent's phone.'<br>'Did you get any sleep?'  
>'A couple of hours, Sir,' replied James, neglecting to mention that it had been whilst scrunched up in his office chair.<br>Robbie looked at James thoughtfully but didn't comment. Sometimes it was just impossible to rest; he and Laura had had enough trouble after all.  
>They finished their food then Robbie said,<br>'I'm going to talk to Gurdip then I think I'll see if Chris Innocent would be willing to talk to me about his parents before I have another talk to Simon Innocent.'  
>'I'll go and pick up Katie Williams now, Sir. Hopefully, I'll have something for you before you start the interview.'<br>'Don't push her if she doesn't want to talk to you, we can always talk to her mother and friends instead.'  
>'Sir.'<br>They went their separate ways with Robbie quietly ignoring the ripple of amusement that followed him out.


	8. Chapter 8

James rang the doorbell of Simon Innocent's house and waited. After a couple of minutes he rang again, hearing the two WPC's he'd brought with him shifting restlessly behind him. When there was still no answer he knocked. A few seconds later, he heard movement and the door was opened by a very bleary eyed Katie, who said,  
>'What time is it?'<br>'Eight o'clock, Miss. May we come in?'  
>Katie shrugged and stood aside, saying,<br>'What d'you want? Si's not here.'  
>'Mr Innocent's still at the station. It was you we wanted a word with, if you wouldn't mind?'<br>'Me? All right but I want breakfast first.'  
>'Of course, Miss, no hurry.'<br>Katie led them through to the kitchen and said,  
>'Want a cuppa?'<br>'Yes, please,' said James.  
>Katie filled the kettle and put it on then sat at the table looking half asleep. James walked over to the side and said,<br>'Why don't I make it? To make up for waking you up?'  
>'Thanks.'<br>'What do you want?'  
>'Tea.'<br>'Toast?'  
>'Yeah.'<br>James made tea and toast and they sat with Katie whilst she ate. As she ate, Katie gradually woke up and James noticed curiosity and a small amount of suspicion entering her expression but she didn't say anything, merely finishing her breakfast. Once she'd finished she said,  
>'I'm getting dressed. Make yourselves at home.'<br>As the door closed behind her, WPC Shaw shot James an incredulous look, saying,  
>'Did she just say what I thought she said?'<br>'She did. She told us to make ourselves at home, which means that we can look around to our hearts' content. Let's see what we can find, shall we?'

They split up. James took the small study, WPC Shaw took the lounge and the kitchen whilst James asked WPC Sutton to have a discreet look upstairs. WPC Sutton winked at him and said,  
>'It's amazing how bad I can be at finding the bathroom, Sarge.'<br>The study was well organised and James very quickly found Simon Innocent's files with all the details of his savings and investments. A quick scan showed nothing obviously suspicious but James was very aware that he didn't have the accountancy skills needed to spot anything sophisticated. Innocent's current account was more interesting showing fairly large sums being withdrawn as cash each week. However, this went back for over two years so it wasn't as incriminating as it seemed (unless Innocent had been planning the attack for all that time, which seemed unlikely). James put everything back and had started going through Innocent's correspondence files when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and dodged into the lounge in time to be sat down before Katie came in. She smiled and said,  
>'So what did you want to talk to me about?'<br>'We wanted to talk to you about your relationship with Simon Innocent,' said James.  
>'Okay.'<br>'Would you be willing to come down to the station so we can record it?'  
>'What? Like you see on telly?'<br>'Yes, but only if you're all right with it. You don't have to talk to us at all if you don't want to.'  
>Katie shot him a surprisingly intelligent look and said,<br>'I know.'  
>Aware that he'd made an unwarranted assumption about Katie's intelligence, James waited quietly whilst she thought about it. Her question took him by surprise,<br>'Is she all right? Jean?'  
>She misinterpreted James' surprise and continued,<br>'Sorry. I must seem like a right cow only asking now but I didn't remember in time last night and I've got no brain in the morning till I've had breakfast.'  
>'No, it's all right,' said James, 'I was just trying to work out what I'm allowed to tell you… She's in hospital in a stable condition.'<br>'Fuck. And that's all you can tell me?'  
>James nodded and Katie continued,<br>'And you think Simon might have had something to do with it?'  
>'We don't know but there are some things we need to find out.'<br>'Because he was such a wanker about the divorce? You think he hired someone to beat her up, don't you?'  
>'Do you?'<br>'No but if he did then I want you to find out because there's no way I'm staying with someone who could something like that…Yeah, let's go to the station and you can ask me anything you want. Do you want to search the house?'  
>'Yes, please.'<br>Katie stood up and rummaged around in a small pot on the mantelpiece, pulling out a key and handing it to James,  
>'Here's the spare key. You'll be careful, yeah?'<br>'You won't even know that we've been here,' promised James.  
>He passed the key to WPC Sutton and said,<br>'You stay here and get started. I'll send someone to help you.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>Sutton didn't betray by so much as a flicker of an eyelid that they'd already had a rummage and James made a mental note to tell her sergeant how useful she was in delicate situations.  
>Katie picked up her handbag and led them out of the house.<p>

Robbie walked through the hospital again, hoping to find Chris Innocent by his mother's bed. Chris' mobile was switched off so Robbie hadn't been able to phone to ask for an interview. When he got to the side ward, Chris Innocent was sat beside his mother's bed quietly reading the paper aloud to her. Robbie walked over to him and said,  
>'Mr Innocent? Inspector Lewis, Oxfordshire Police.'<br>Chris Innocent got to his feet, saying,  
>'Yes?'<br>As he stood, he wobbled and Robbie took him by the arm to steady him, saying,  
>'You all right, lad?'<br>'I…I just feel a bit dizzy, Sir.'  
>'Not 'Sir', not at the moment. When did you last have anything to eat?'<br>'Yesterday evening.'  
>'And been up all night, no doubt.'<br>'Yes.'  
>'Let's get you some grub and then we'll talk.'<br>Robbie waited until Chris had eaten a large breakfast before saying,  
>'I wondered if you felt able to answer some questions.'<br>'Yes, of course.'  
>'When did you last speak to your mother?'<br>Chris paused, then said,  
>'Tuesday, I think. Yes, it was Tuesday because I'd made another arrest and I rang to tell her.'<br>'I bet she was pleased as punch about that.'  
>'Yes, she was.'<br>'How was she? Did she seem worried about anything?'  
>'No, she seemed fine. She talked about the colour scheme she'd chosen for the dining room, asked me how I was and was I seeing anyone. It was just a normal phone call.'<br>'Thinking of seeing anyone, do you know, is your mother seeing anyone at the moment?'  
>'No, she isn't.'<br>Robbie raised an eyebrow sceptically and Chris continued,  
>'I know because last week, when the decree absolute came through, Mum called me and I tried to encourage her to start dating again. I suggested internet dating but she'd been put off by some tacky website or other but she told me that she'd asked Laura Hobson to suggest someone to her but that Laura hadn't got back to her yet. You could ask Laura Hobson but Mum promised to text me the details of any date she was going on, just in case and I know she wouldn't have forgotten.'<br>'No, Laura would have told me if she'd introduced your mother to someone new. How are things between your parents now?'  
>'Not great. Dad's making a fool of himself with a woman young enough to be his granddaughter and I think the property settlement caused a few rows.'<br>'I see. How bad were the rows, d'you know?'  
>'I didn't hear any of them first hand but Dad can be very verbally aggressive when he's angry and Mum's not exactly a doormat so I don't suppose it was pretty.'<br>'You say your Dad gets aggressive when he's angry; does he ever become physical?'  
>'No, never. And Mum's never been scared of him. You don't think Dad had anything to do with it, do you?'<br>'We're trying to rule him out at the moment.'  
>'He's not a violent man; he blusters but there's never anything behind it.'<br>'I see, Sir,' said Robbie noncommittally.  
>Chris grimaced,<br>'You've heard it all before, haven't you?'  
>'Yes. Though that doesn't mean that you're wrong. Hopefully, we'll soon be able to rule him out.'<br>'I understand.'  
>As they stood, Chris swayed again and Robbie said,<br>'When are they doing the new scan?'  
>'This afternoon.'<br>'Then there won't be any news before then. Go home and get some rest, lad.'  
>'I suppose you're right.'<br>'I know I am. What would your mother say?'  
>'She'd say, 'Don't be a bloody fool…and don't be afraid to take a shower while you're at it too.''<br>Chris' impersonation of Jean Innocent was uncannily accurate and Robbie found himself smiling as they walked out of the hospital together. When they reached the car park, Chris looked around vaguely and Robbie said,  
>'How did you get here?'<br>'My partner dropped me off; we were on patrol.'  
>'Come back to the station with me, I'll get someone to run you home.'<br>'Thanks.'

James started the tape recorder and stated who was present then said,  
>'Miss Williams, I'd like to ask you some questions about your relationship with Simon Innocent if I may?'<br>'Sure. What d'you want to know?'  
>'How did you meet?'<br>'He was shagging my friend Tracy's sister, Kylie, and Tracy and I were round there a lot so I met him there. I couldn't understand why Kylie was shagging such an old bloke until she showed me all the stuff he bought her; she had loads of nice stuff. Kylie was going off to university and Tracy didn't fancy him so Kylie suggested that I should take up with him once she'd gone.'  
>'How old were you then?'<br>'Fifteen, but by the time Kylie left it was only a couple of weeks before my birthday. Kylie had dumped him a couple of weeks earlier so she could have a laugh with her friends before leaving so it worked out well. By the time we'd been on a few dates, I was sixteen and he could shag me. Well, in theory he could anyway.'  
>'In theory?'<br>'He couldn't get it up, could he? He has to use Viagra to get it up and he'd run out so it wasn't till a couple of weeks later that we had sex.'  
>'So it was about two weeks after your sixteenth birthday that Simon Innocent had sex with you.'<br>'Yeah, in that swanky hotel out by the golf course. We had dinner and everything.'  
>'And now you live together.'<br>'Yeah. He wanted to keep it casual but we couldn't have sex at my place because I shared my room with my two younger sisters and we couldn't go to his place because he was married. It was costing a fortune to be in hotels all the time so I convinced him to buy us a place in Oxford.'  
>'How long have you been living there?'<br>'About a year and a half. It works well; Mum was glad to have one less mouth to feed, Simon gets to have sex with me and I've got a nice house and plenty of money.'  
>'Is Simon ever violent towards you?'<br>'Simon? No, he shouts at me sometimes but he's never hit me or threatened me. He may be a dirty old man but he's all right, you know. He buys me presents and tells me I'm sexy and that he loves me.'  
>'Good.'<br>'Of course, he's a bit of an idiot at times but after what happened with his divorce he's knows better than to try that shit on me.'  
>'Oh?' said James encouragingly.<br>'Turns out he'd been thinking about leaving his wife for a while so he'd been lying to her about his pay rises and bonuses and stashing the money in a savings account. Then we buy our place, which wipes out most of his savings but instead of going to his wife and telling her he's leaving her and he's bought a new place, he decides he's going to be clever and rip her off. I mean she's a police chief superintendent, for fucks sake, how did he ever think he was going to get away with it?'  
>'No idea,' said James, enthralled, 'What happened?'<br>'Well, he cut what he was putting in their joint account each month in half, thinking she wouldn't notice, then when she didn't say anything, he cut it again. This goes on for months and he thinks he's got away with it but of course, she'd noticed straight away and had hired a private detective to follow him and an accountant to find all his money. Once she knows what's going on, she files for divorce and when it comes to court the judge is not at all impressed by Simon's lies and awards Jean the lion's share of everything. Simon was so pissed off but it served him right. He told me that he hadn't been in love with his wife for years so why didn't he leave her before then? She didn't deserve to be messed about like that. She was nice to me.'  
>'You met her?'<br>'Yes, she came round one day when Simon was at work. She was worried because I was so young, she wanted to make sure that I was okay.'  
>'That was…'<br>James paused as he tried to think of the right word to use. He knew that Jean Innocent was an exceptional human being but how many women would check that the young woman her husband was committing adultery with was all right?  
>'…kind,' supplied Katie, 'I mean, it was a bit weird at first but once we'd got past the weirdness she was really kind. She even gave me her number so I could call her if I was ever worried about anything.'<br>'And have you ever needed to call her?'  
>'No, Simon doesn't give me any trouble. He knows I'd be off if he did. A couple of his mates at the golf club have made passes at me so it'd be easy enough to find someone else to look after me.'<br>James sat back and contemplated Katie Williams. From her words it would be easy to assume that she was just a gold digger but there was a vulnerability about her that made James suspicious.  
>'What about love?'<br>'What about it?' replied Katie scornfully, 'Mum falls in love all the time and what does it get her? Another tosser to lounge around on the sofa and knock her about when he's in a bad mood.'  
>'Did they hit you too?'<br>'No, Mum kicks them out if they're violent towards us but I decided years ago that I was never going to be any man's punch bag.'  
>'Good,' said James vehemently.<br>'So, I think I'll stick with using my brain to choose my partners, yeah? Anything else?'  
>'No, thank you.'<br>'If it was Simon, you'll let me know?'  
>'Yes, I promise.'<br>'All right.'  
>James arranged to Katie to be driven home and went to find Robbie.<p>

Robbie was in his office, collecting the information he needed for his interview with Simon Innocent, when James arrived.  
>'How did you get on?' asked Robbie.<br>'Innocent didn't have underage sex with Katie Williams but he tried to rip the chief super off big time over their divorce and was very unhappy when she caught him out.'  
>Robbie listened attentively as James explained what Katie had told him then said,<br>'There's no doubt he's got motive but unless we find a large sum of money missing from his account I'm going to have to let him go.'  
>'Has Hooper got back from searching the house yet?'<br>'No.'  
>'I'll give him a call,' said James.<br>He phoned John Hooper and after talking to him, said to Robbie,  
>'There are no lump sums mysteriously drawn out of any of the accounts but John confirmed what I thought; Simon Innocent gets through a lot of cash each week.'<br>'How much?'  
>'Two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds a week. And he has three credit cards which he uses regularly so he's not paying cash for everything.'<br>'That's a lot of cash,' agreed Robbie.  
>'How much would it cost to hire someone to beat up your ex-wife nowadays?'<br>'No idea but Simon Innocent could certainly afford it.'  
>Robbie thought then said,<br>'We're not going to get anywhere unless we can find the attacker and link him to Simon Innocent, if there is a link. The things we have now are all circumstantial. We're going to have to let him go for now.'  
>'I could have a go at him, Sir.'<br>'No, I need your brain on finding the attacker. Get Grey to question him. It'll be good experience for Grey and Simon Innocent's arrogance might lead him astray when confronted by a younger officer.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>'But tell Grey not to mention the emails or voicemails.'  
>'Sir?'<br>'If we do find a link between Simon Innocent and the attacker, the more things we have to rattle him with the better.'  
>'Yes, Sir.'<br>James went to brief Grey and Robbie sat at his desk and thought. When James returned, Robbie said,  
>'Has Gurdip found our BDSM enthusiast yet?'<br>'No, Sir, but Grey and his team have found twenty men who made threats against Chief Superintendent Innocent who are now out of prison two of whom live in Oxford.'  
>'The other eighteen?'<br>'Ten in London, two in Reading, four in Manchester, one in Bristol and one in Cardiff, Sir.'  
>'Cardiff? I didn't know Jean Innocent ever worked in Cardiff.'<br>'She didn't; he moved there after being released.'  
>'Get Grey to see what he can find out about their whereabouts online. We may have to reach out to all the other forces involved.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>'The two in Oxford; how long since they were released?'<br>'Nigel Walter was released three years ago and Jeff Lucas six months ago.'  
>'Three years is a long time to wait to take your revenge. Get Hooper to check Walter after he's finished at Innocent's house, we'll take the other one.'<br>They collected the last known address for Jeff Lucas from Alex Grey and set off.


	9. Chapter 9

Robbie read Jeff Lucas' file as they drove,  
>'Jeff Lucas could be a possible, he's a nasty sod.'<br>'Does he have the necessary planning skills though?'  
>Robbie read a few more details before saying,<br>'It's hard to tell, all his convictions have been for crimes committed on impulse.'  
>'Precisely my point, Sir. Lucas attacks people when he loses his temper. It's never premeditated. I'm not sure that the sort of cold-blooded planning necessary for the attack on Chief Superintendent Innocent is possible for him.'<br>'He made some pretty nasty threats to the chief super at the time.'  
>'Yes, Sir, but that was at the time of his arrest. Chief Superintendent Innocent saw him running away from uniform and tripped him up, giving them time to catch him. When they picked him up off the floor he started spouting threats but stopped abruptly when he realised that she was a police officer.'<br>'Doesn't mean that he didn't mean them though.'  
>'No and prison may have made him more violent not less.'<br>'No recent form though,' said Robbie thoughtfully.  
>'So either he's learned to control his temper or he hasn't been caught.'<br>'Let's see if we can find out which shall we?'  
>'Sir.'<p>

Lucas' last known address was in a housing estate and as they pulled up Robbie scanned the surroundings, getting a feel for the area. It was much like the area where Val and he had had their first house, cheap but not run down. Most of the gardens were cared for and most of the houses were in reasonable repair. The house where Jeff Lucas lived was neat and tidy though the curtains were drawn even though it was close to eleven now. Their hammering on the door brought a grumpy,  
>'Who is it?'<br>'Police, Mr Lucas. Can you open the door, please.'  
>Robbie's reply was followed by a groan, then movement. After a couple of minutes, a tall muscular man wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt opened the door.<br>Robbie held up his warrant card, saying,  
>'Inspector Lewis, Oxfordshire Police. Mr Lucas?'<br>'Yeah. What do you want?'  
>Lucas yawned and blinked as he spoke, leaning sleepily against the doorjamb.<br>'Just a quick word. Can we come in?'  
>'No. Ask what you want here.'<br>'All right, Mr Lucas, if that's what you want. Where were you last night between the hours of three and ten pm?'  
>Robbie deliberately extended the times, not wanting to give away the details.<br>'I was here until five,' replied Lucas, 'then I went to work. I was there until three am.'  
>'Where do you work, Sir?'<br>'At The Other Way Up club. I assume you know it?'  
>Lucas' tone was sardonic, with good reason. The Other Way Up was one of Oxford's gay clubs and used to have an extremely bad reputation. The club had been raided numerous times by the police over the years for reasons ranging from drug dealing to brawls to underage sex. However, since having new owners a couple of years ago the number of complaints had plummeted and the last raid had found no illegal drugs or underage boys and the owner had calmly produced files of completed VAT forms and records of all employees when asked.<br>Robbie exchanged a look with James, who said,  
>'What do you do there, Sir?'<br>'I'm part of the security team.'  
>'Do they know about your criminal record?' asked James.<br>'Yes.'  
>'And it didn't bother them?'<br>'They gave me a chance despite it. I'd done some anger management in prison and they helped me build on it, learn to control myself.'  
>'I see, Sir,' said Robbie noncommittally.<br>It would all have to be checked but since Jeff Lucas had an alibi there was no point wasting any more time with him.  
>'Thank you for your time, Sir,' said Robbie, 'Sorry to have bothered you.'<br>Jeff Lucas just grunted vaguely but Robbie couldn't tell if it was from rudeness or because he still wasn't really awake.

Once they were in the car, Robbie said,  
>'Either he didn't do it or he's a psychopath. He barely woke up even when we asked for an alibi.'<br>'He's not a psychopath.'  
>'No… we'll check his alibi anyway but I think we can cross him off the list.'<br>'I agree.'  
>'So… back to the nick. We'll go to The Other Way Up later, there'll be no one there this time of day.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>'I want to think.'<br>James shot a glance at Robbie, seeing a familiar frown on his face, the one that meant that something from deep in his subconscious was trying to make itself known. James turned his attention back to the road and drove back to the station in silence.

When they got back to the station they went straight back to their office, Robbie sighing inwardly as he saw the suppressed smiles as he passed. On his desk was a computer printout and he picked it up and started scanning it before realising that it was a printout of the Wikipedia entry on Viagra. Reminding himself to make sure to pay James back, Robbie carried on scanning the information then said,  
>'Useful stuff this.'<br>'Sir?' said James innocently.  
>'Viagra,' said Robbie, 'Prevents altitude sickness. Laura's always wanted to visit Ecuador; could be handy.'<br>'Very useful, Sir. I'm sure Laura will be excited by the prospect.'

Robbie put the printout back on his desk, knowing that throwing it away would only lead to another printout appearing. Putting it out of his mind, he said,  
>'Is Hooper back from checking on Nigel Walter yet?'<br>'No, Sir but I had a text from Gurdip when we were in the car; he's got something for us.'  
>What Gurdip had was the name and address of the BDSM fantasist. Worryingly, he lived in Oxford and even worse, he'd met Jean Innocent.<br>'Peter Matthews, Sir. He works in the Mayor's office and sits on two committees with Chief Superintendent Innocent; Crime Prevention and Drug Education in Schools,' said Gurdip.  
>'He should be at home now. Let's go and pick him up,' said Robbie.<br>'Yes, Sir,' said James.  
>'Good work, Gurdip. Get some rest.'<br>'Thank you, Sir.'

When they got to Peter Matthews' house, there was no answer to their initial knock but there was a car in the driveway so James knocked again, more firmly. Eventually, the door was opened and Robbie and James both tensed as they saw the man in the doorway. Peter Matthews had a bruised and swollen nose. James moved to the side, getting ready to run round to the back of the house if Peter Matthews tried to get away by running through the house.  
>'Mr Matthews?' asked Robbie<br>'Yes?'  
>'Inspector Lewis, Oxfordshire Police. Can we come in?'<br>Peter Matthews led them into his lounge and they sat down.  
>'How can I help, Inspector?' said Matthews.<br>'Just a few questions, Sir. How did you damage your nose?'  
>'It was an accident,' said Matthews evasively.<br>'Really, Sir, it looks as though you've been in a fight.'  
>'No, I…I fell.'<br>'I see, Sir. Where were you last night, Sir?'  
>'I was at home, watching television.'<br>James wondered who Peter Matthews was trying to fool; he was sweating and shifting in his seat. There was no way that he'd been at home.  
>'Anyone corroborate that, Sir?'<br>'No, I live alone.'  
>'I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to accompany us to the station, Sir.'<br>'Am I under arrest?'  
>'No, Sir, but we do need to ask you some more questions. This way, if you wouldn't mind.'<br>For a moment it looked as though Peter Matthews was going to bolt but then he gritted his teeth and followed them to the car.

They put Peter Matthews in Interview Room Two and went back to the office to collect copies of his chat room fantasies. As soon as they walked in, Alex Grey said,  
>'Hooper's brought Walter in, Sir. He's interviewing him now.'<br>'Do you know why he brought him in?'  
>'He's been in a fight but refuses to say where or when, Sir.'<br>'Another one?'  
>'Sir?' said Grey.<br>'Matthews has been in a fight too. Got a badly bruised nose.'  
>'Has Walter got a chunk out of his ear or a cut hand?' asked James.<br>'Not sure,' said Alex, 'Why?'  
>'Mr Jackson was sure he hit him twice.'<br>'But the old boy's eighty-two, he probably just thought he'd hit him,' said Robbie.  
>'Perhaps, Sir, but did we ever find out what Mr Jackson did before he retired?'<br>'I don't think it's made its way to the top of the Action List yet, Sir,' said Alex.  
>'Why don't I see what I can find out while you start questioning Matthews, Sir? I can pass a note in,' said James.<br>'All right. Anything else anyone?'  
>'Two messages, Sir,' said Alex, 'The Chief Constable has arranged a press conference for five pm, which he would be grateful if you would attend, and DI Peterson wanted to know if there's anything he can do to help.'<br>'Thanks, Alex. Can you ring the Chief Constable's office and let him know that I'll be there.'  
>'And DI Peterson?'<br>'I'll call him in a bit.'  
>Robbie collected the information he needed and went to Interview Room Two.<p>

Peter Matthews was looking even more uncomfortable than he had been earlier and when Robbie turned the tape recorder on he opened his mouth to speak but then shut it without saying anything. Having stated who was present, Robbie said,  
>'Mr Matthews, you understand that you are not under arrest and can leave at any time?'<br>'Yes.'  
>'Where were you yesterday evening, Sir?'<br>'I was at home watching television.'  
>'What did you watch?'<br>'The News.'  
>'What else, Sir?'<br>'I can't remember.'  
>'You spent the whole evening watching television and you can't remember anything you saw?'<br>'No.'  
>'I see, Sir. How did you hurt your nose? It looks painful.'<br>'I fell over?'  
>'Where?'<br>'At home. I tripped and hit my nose on the corner of the table.'  
>'You weren't in a fight then?'<br>'No, of course not.'  
>'When did you do it?'<br>'Yesterday morning.'  
>'Can I see your hands, please, Sir?'<br>Peter Matthews reluctantly put his hands on the table, palms facing upwards.  
>'And the backs of you hands, Sir?'<br>Matthews slowly rotated his hands. His knuckles were bruised and swollen.  
>'Your knuckles are badly bruised, Sir. I'm always amazed how much it hurts when you punch someone, aren't you?'<br>'Yes…'  
>Peter Matthews drew in a sharp breath and continued,<br>'But that isn't how I did this. I…I was doing some DIY and scraped them.'  
>'Well, there's nothing like the satisfaction of doing something yourself. What are you working on at the moment?'<br>'Nothing really. I was putting some shelves up.'  
>'Really, Sir? Because those bruises look as though they were caused by hitting someone and I couldn't help noticing that you're moving very stiffly. Would you mind if I got our doctor to have a look at you, Sir?'<br>'I…I'd rather not.'  
>Robbie paused as James passed a note to the police constable on duty in the room who then passed it to him. Squinting, Robbie read,<br>"Mr Jackson was in the SAS for twenty years, then traveled round the armed forces giving advanced sniper training. Was overall armed forces marksmanship champion eight years running."  
>Robbie put the note in his pocket and scowled at the man opposite, looking intently at his ears. Neither of them was damaged nor was any of the bruising on his hands what you'd expect from an air rifle pellet. It seemed that he wasn't the person at Jean Innocent's house. So why had Peter Matthews lied throughout the interview?<br>Making his mind up, Robbie suspended the interview, saying,  
>'Someone will be with you shortly, Mr Matthews.'<p>

Looking through the glass and Nigel Walter, Robbie could see that his injuries didn't fit what they were looking for either. Sticking his head through the door, he said,  
>'Could I have a word?'<br>Hooper suspended the interview and came out.  
>'How are you getting on?' asked Robbie.<br>'He's lying through his teeth about how he got hurt but I don't think he had anything to do with the attack on the chief super, Sir.'  
>'His injuries are wrong too.'<br>'According to an eighty-two year-old man.'  
>'That's what I thought,' said Robbie ruefully, 'but it turns out that Mr Jackson was a sniper in the SAS. I think we can assume that he hit the attacker where he said he did.'<br>'Seems likely.'  
>Robbie thought for a moment then said,<br>'I don't like the smell of these two; they're clearly up to something but I don't think it's anything to do with the attack on Chief Superintendent Innocent. I'm going to hand them over to DI Peterson, see if he can't get the truth out of them.'  
>'Sir.'<br>Hooper sounded slightly disgruntled so Robbie continued,  
>'I'd love to let you run with it but we need to find the chief super's attacker before he strikes again.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>Hooper's voice was normal and Robbie watched as he became focused on the task again. Pleased, Robbie said,<br>'You've got good instincts.'  
>'Thank you, Sir.'<br>'Right, let's get back to finding this needle in a bloody haystack.'


	10. Chapter 10

By the end of the afternoon they had eliminated another eight suspects from their enquiries and had found another six possible people with grudges against Jean Innocent.  
>'None of them live in Oxford,' said Robbie.<br>'But they all live within easy travelling distance of Oxford,' said James, 'which makes any of them possible.'  
>'But none of them seem that probable.'<br>'No, Sir.'  
>'Get on to the relevant CID's in the morning, ask them to check them out.'<br>'Yes, Sir,' said James, not bothering to point out how many favours they were racking up against them. Finding Jean Innocent's attacker was worth doing any amount of legwork for other forces.  
>'Anything from forensics yet?'<br>'Ask and ye shall receive,' said Laura, coming in to the office carrying a file.  
>'What have you got?' asked Robbie eagerly.<br>'Preliminary report only…'  
>'Understood.'<br>'Most of the blood at the scene wasn't Jean's, she's B positive, her attacker is O positive.'  
>'The most common blood type,' said James.<br>'Yes,' said Laura, 'but there was plenty of it so we can get a DNA profile. It also means that he is definitely injured.'  
>'Mr Jackson thought that Jean had broken his nose,' said Robbie.<br>'That would tie in with the blood found at the scene; there was splatter on the bedding, then small pools all down the stairs, consistent with the rapid blood loss you'd get from a broken nose.'  
>'Anything else?'<br>'Fingerprints on the belt from three different people. They could all be from the staff at the shop where the belt was sold but the positioning of one set is where you'd expect it to be if someone was hitting someone with the belt.'  
>James winced and Laura said,<br>'Sorry, James.'  
>'No, we need to know this.'<br>'Anything else, Laura?' said Robbie.  
>'SOCO went over the outside of the house today in daylight and found some faint smudges on one of the windowsills where someone might have climbed in. They're comparing the fingerprints with those on the belt and running them through the criminal database.'<br>''I doubt there'll be a match,' said Robbie, 'He would have worn gloves if his fingerprints were on file.'  
>'True but at least it tells us how he got in and provides more evidence to convict him.'<br>'And shows that she didn't let him in.'  
>'Yes though SOCO didn't find any evidence of the window being forced,' said Laura.<br>'Would the chief super have left a window open when she wasn't there?' asked James.  
>'Seems unlikely,' said Laura.<br>'Painters,' said Robbie.  
>'Painters?' echoed Laura and James.<br>'The chief superintendent's having her dining room painted. James, find out who she's using and give them a ring, see if they were there on Friday and if they left the downstairs windows open at any point.'  
>'Yes, Sir,' said James, leaving the office to search for the information.<br>'Anything else?' asked Robbie.  
>'No evidence of a second attacker, which is what we expected. The tools are all from a DIY chain store and the belt is a cheap one from a chain store too. Very little chance of tracing any of them, I'm afraid. DNA results will be through on Monday.'<br>'That's quick.'  
>'I pulled in a favour.'<br>'You're a wonder,' said Robbie gratefully.  
>'Just remember it next time I want a favour.'<br>'Really, Doctor? And what sort of favour might you want?' said Robbie suggestively.  
>Laura smiled flirtatiously and said,<br>'I'll let you know…'  
>Robbie reached for Laura and she stepped into his arms, reaching up and looping her hands round his neck. They kissed tenderly, then held each other, taking and giving comfort to each other.<br>After a couple of minutes, Laura reluctantly pulled away, saying,  
>'Back to the coal face. There was a nasty crash on the ring road a couple of hours ago, they should be bringing the bodies in about now. I'll see you later.'<br>'And I need to think…'  
>'Something?'<br>'I don't know,' said Robbie, running his hand over his head, 'There's something in the back of me mind and I just can't remember it…'  
>'It'll come to you, Robbie.'<br>Robbie smiled at Laura, thinking again how lucky he was that she hadn't got fed up of waiting for him. He bent and kissed her again then let her leave.

James parked in the driveway behind the van bearing the legend, "J. Squires & Son" and got out. As he approached the van a young man carrying a stepladder came out of the house.  
>'Mr Squires?' said James.<br>'Yes?'  
>'Sergeant Hathaway, Oxfordshire Police. Do you have a minute?'<br>'Tom Squires. Is this about Mrs Innocent?'  
>'Yes,' said James, suppressing the urge to correct Jean's title.<br>'Hang on, I'll get Dad.'  
>Tom Squires put the ladder in the van, then went to the door of the house and called,<br>'Dad! It's the police, about Jean Innocent.'  
>James heard a faint reply and then Tom came back, saying,<br>'He's coming straight out.'  
>A few seconds later an older man came out of the house and joined them, holding his hand out and saying,<br>'John Squires.'  
>James shook his hand and introduced himself then said,<br>'Were you working at Chief Superintendent Innocent's house yesterday, Sir?'  
>'Yes, we're painting her dining room.'<br>'Did you leave any of the windows open?'  
>'Only while we were there. I checked that all the windows were shut and locked and set the alarm before we left,' said John.<br>'Were you away from the house at any point?  
>'No.'<br>'What about your lunch break?'  
>'We sat in the garden to eat.'<br>'Front or back garden, Sir?'  
>'Front. Why?'<br>'Did you leave the back windows open whilst you had your lunch?'  
>John Squires paled and sat down heavily on the wall,<br>'Is that how he got in?'  
>'We think so. Did you notice anyone hanging around, Sir?'<br>'No. Tom?'  
>'No. Well, not Friday.'<br>'Sir?' prompted James.  
>'There was that bloke who asked if we had any work for him. He only asked for work when I challenged him, he was just hanging around.'<br>'Which day was that, Sir?'  
>'Thursday, wasn't it, Dad?'<br>'Yes, it was.'  
>'Can you remember what he looked like?'<br>'He was white, about my height, wearing jeans and a dark blue hoodie,' said Tom.  
>'How old would you say, Sir?'<br>'Not sure. Late twenties, early thirties maybe.'  
>'Do you agree?' asked James, looking at the older Mr Squires.<br>'Yes. Looked as though he'd been sleeping rough.'  
>'Would you be willing to come down to the station and work with a sketch artist?'<br>'You think it was him?'  
>'Perhaps. It fits with the description we have but it might only have been a coincidence.'<br>'We'll be down as soon as we've finished packing up,' said John Squires.  
>Delighted to have a possible lead at last, James drove back to the station.<p>

Back at the office, James said to Robbie,  
>'You were right about the painters; they left the back windows open whilst they sat in the front garden eating their lunch.'<br>'And didn't notice a thing,' said Robbie cynically.  
>'Not Friday they didn't but Tom Squires, the son, noticed someone hanging around on Thursday. When they challenged the man, he asked if they had any work for him but he matches Mr Jackson's description of the attacker. I've asked them to come in and work with a sketch artist.'<br>'Good work, James.'  
>'Thank you, Sir.'<br>'There's some more good news; the chief super's second scan came back clear so they're going to stop the sedation. She could regain consciousness any time from tomorrow morning.'  
>James felt a weight lifting off him. Jean was going to be all right. Feeling euphoric, he said,<br>'How was your meeting with the fourth estate, Sir? A joyous exchange of information?'  
>Robbie snorted,<br>'I let the Chief Constable do all the talking, which suited us both. It was the usual nonsense. I don't know why he wanted me there really.'  
>'It's your handsome physique, Sir. He finds it irresistible.'<br>'He just wanted someone to blame if it all went pear shaped.'  
>James smiled wryly, acknowledging the truth of Robbie's words and changed the subject, saying,<br>'Anything new, Sir?'  
>'No. We're going round in circles.'<br>'Why don't you see if Laura's ready to go home? I'll call you if we get any new leads.'  
>'Might as well I suppose. Make sure that you get off home early too.'<br>'Sir.'  
>'Night, James.'<br>'Night, Sir.'

Two hours later, Robbie and Laura were sat on the sofa in her cottage, sipping some wine as their food went down. Robbie put his arm around Laura and she curled up into his side. After a minute Robbie said,  
>'I was wondering…'<br>'Yes?'  
>'Whether I should go to the doctor to get some Viagra.'<br>'Why? I wasn't aware that you'd been having trouble sustaining an erection.'  
>'No...um…I, uh, no. I've been thinking about us and well…uh…you're so much younger than I am, I wasn't sure if I was…you know,' said Robbie, running his hand over his head and looking acutely uncomfortable<br>Laura looked at him quizzically, saying,  
>'You aren't sure if you're what, Robbie?<br>'Fulfilling your needs.'  
>'But Robbie, surely you know…'<br>'Yes, I know I'm getting the job done when we…you know.'  
>'So if you know I'm having orgasms then why do you think you need Viagra?' said Laura, puzzled.<br>'I wasn't sure if we were…um…often enough for you.'  
>'Oh I see,' said Laura, amused, 'You're talking about quantity not quality.'<br>'Yes.'  
>Robbie waited whilst Laura thought about it. After a moment she said,<br>'I'm generally happy with how often we have sex. I'm not saying that I'm not frustrated occasionally but that's been caused by circumstances not by you being uninterested. Being called out is a hazard of the job for both of us unfortunately. What about you? Would you like more sex?'  
>'In me mind, yes, but me body's very happy with the way things are.'<br>'Good. So what brought this up?'  
>'We brought Simon Innocent in and he has to use Viagra and it got me thinking.'<br>'And you started wondering if you were too old for me.'  
>Robbie smiled ruefully,<br>'Not so much too old as not virile enough. Sorry, Pet, I still find it incredible that you're willing to be with an old man like me.'  
>'And I still find it incredible that you don't understand how sexy you are.'<br>'Sexy?' said Robbie, pulling Laura gently on to his lap, 'You're the sexy one.'  
>Laura turned so she was sitting astride him and put her arms round his neck saying teasingly,<br>'You know, if you are worried about your virility, I can help you with that.'  
>'Oh?'<br>'We had lectures about male sexuality at medical school. Want to help me do some revision?'  
>'I'm always happy to help a scholar,' said Robbie, following eagerly as Laura stood up, took him by the hand and led him upstairs.<p>

Once they were in the bedroom, Laura undressed Robbie then slowly removed her own clothes. She kissed Robbie a couple of times, then said,  
>'Come and lie down.'<br>Robbie lay in the middle of the bed and Laura began exploring his body, using her fingers, tongue and teeth to find spots that he had no idea were responsive. After a few minutes he was fully aroused and Laura smirked happily when he stopped her exploration and pinned her to the bed, saying,  
>'My turn.'<br>Robbie kissed Laura passionately before using his hands and mouth to bring Laura right to the edge before joining their bodies, knowing that he wasn't going to last. They moved frantically together and after just a couple of minutes Laura climaxed and the sight and sensation of Laura's climax sent Robbie over the edge too.

Robbie absently ran his hands down Laura's back as he waited for his breathing to go back to normal. When he could finally speak, he said,  
>'If someone had explained to me that revision could be that much fun, I'd have done much better at school.'<br>Laura chuckled sleepily, saying,  
>'So you're happy to be my guinea pig then?'<br>'Yes, whenever you like.'  
>Laura smiled softly at him, snuggling in,<br>'Good because there are a few more things I fancy trying.'  
>'Sounds good. Laura?'<br>'Yes?'  
>'Did you learn about female sexuality too?'<br>'Yes.'  
>'Reckon an old copper might be able to understand your notes?'<br>'I could always explain anything you didn't understand.'

James walked quietly through the hospital, making his way to Jean Innocent's side ward. He had gone home and tried to sleep but had given up after four hours of tossing and turning and had decided to visit the chief superintendent instead. He nodded to the officers on duty outside and went and stood by her bed, looking down at her. The bandage had been removed from her head but her face was pale and she was unnaturally still. The bruises that were visible on her shoulders and arms were more vivid today and James felt his guts twist as he looked at them. Her attacker had gone all the way down each arm systematically, leaving no space between each bruise and James winced at the thought of how much that would hurt once Jean was awake. There was no sign of Chris Innocent but the hospital had probably made him leave at the end of visiting hours. Fortunately, it was very hard for the hospital to force one of the investigating officers to leave. Forcing himself to sound calm, James said,  
>'James Hathaway here, Ma'am. We're still looking for your attacker and we might have found someone who saw him. We've got a photofit and Mr Jackson is coming in at eleven to see if he recognises him.'<br>James sat in the visitor's chair and took a book out of his pocket and said,  
>'I wasn't sure what you liked to read, Ma'am, so I brought one of my favourites.'<br>Opening his copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, James began to read.


	11. Chapter 11

Laura and Robbie were eating breakfast when first Laura's, then Robbie's phones went off. When Robbie hung up, Laura was already getting her kit but she paused long enough to say,  
>'Homicide at Woodstock Road Medical Centre?'<br>'Yes.'  
>'We might as well travel together. Your car or mine?'<br>'Mine,' said Robbie, 'I'm almost certain to need it at some point.'  
>'Okay,' said Laura amiably.<br>Robbie helped Laura move her equipment from her car to his and they set off.

When they reached the Woodstock Road Medical Centre, James was already there, talking to a uniformed officer. Laura pulled on her crime scene suit and disappeared into the medical centre and Robbie walked over to James, saying,  
>'What have we got?'<br>'The deceased is Doctor Rose O'Donnell, Sir. Found by Mrs Moore, the practice manager, when she came in this morning.'  
>'Where's Mrs Moore now?'<br>'In the ambulance; the paramedics are treating her for shock.'  
>'All right, we'll speak to her later. Do we know when Doctor O'Donnell was last seen alive?'<br>'Not yet but the head of the practice, Doctor Mitchell is on his way in now, Sir.'  
>'We'd better go and have a look,' said Robbie, accepting a crime scene suit from James and reluctantly pulling it on.<br>James nodded and they went into the medical centre.  
>'Consulting Room D,' said James.<br>They followed the signs to Room D but were stopped at the door by one of the SOCO's, who said,  
>'Doctor Hobson said that no one's to go inside at the moment, Sir.'<br>Robbie nodded acknowledgement then called through the door,  
>'Inspector Lewis, Doctor. I'd appreciate an update.'<br>A few seconds later, Laura opened the door and said,  
>'You can look from the doorway but no closer until the crime scene photographer has finished. It's not a pretty sight, I'm afraid.'<br>Robbie took one look and averted his eyes. Behind him, James swallowed audibly and turned away. Laura shut the door and moved a couple of steps away, wanting to distance herself from the scene inside. Without preamble, she said,  
>'She's been dead for approximately sixteen hours, I'd say that death most likely occurred between four and six pm yesterday. Death was probably due to blunt force trauma from the head injury but shock from the other injuries may have played its part. I'll know more once I've had a proper look at her. As you can see, the room's been ransacked. And there's this.'<br>'This' was a belt. Robbie looked at it through the evidence bag and said,  
>'Is it the same?'<br>'As the one used on Jean? I think so. Same brand definitely.'  
>'James, get one of the SOCO's to take this straight to the lab,' said Robbie, 'Tell them it's an emergency. I want to know if the same fingerprints are on this one as the one found at the chief super's house and if it's the same belt as Jean's attacker used.'<br>'Yes, Sir.'  
>James took the belt and went to find a SOCO.<br>'So Doctor O'Donnell was tied down, beaten and killed?'  
>'Yes but not necessarily in that order. I won't know for certain until I get her to the lab but it looks as though most of the injuries were post mortem.'<br>'Which is a small mercy. That poor woman.'  
>'Yes. This was a frenzied and vicious attack, Robbie, with no obvious signs that it was planned in advance. Whilst there are similarities to the attack on Jean, you may be looking for a second attacker.'<br>'Bloody hell, I hope not,' said Robbie with feeling, 'One evil bastard is one too many.'  
>'I can type any blood we find that isn't Doctor O'Donnell's fairly quickly but even if it is O positive it still won't mean that it's the same man.'<br>'Understood. How long for fingerprints and DNA results.'  
>'If we find any clear fingerprints, I can call in some favours and get you a comparison with those found at Jean's house by the end of the day. It'll take two days to run them through the criminal database and DNA will be three days minimum.'<br>'Thanks. Keep me posted, please, Laura.'  
>'I will.'<p>

Outside, Robbie found James talking to a well-dressed middle-aged man,  
>'Doctor Mitchell, Sir,' said James.<br>'Inspector Lewis, Sir,' said Robbie, 'I'm sorry for your loss. Do you mind answering a few questions?'  
>'No, not at all. Anything. I just can't believe it. Who would do such a thing?'<br>'That's what we want to find out. Firstly, do you know who Doctor O'Donnell's next of kin is, Sir? We need to inform them as soon as possible.'  
>'Yes, it's her daughter. I've got her address in my office.'<br>Doctor Mitchell moved towards the medical centre but Robbie stopped him, saying,  
>'My sergeant will go in with you in a minute, Sir. When did you see Doctor O'Donnell last?'<br>'It must have been just after lunch yesterday. I'd done a morning surgery and she was doing the afternoon surgery; we do a short surgery on Saturday afternoons for people who can't come in any other time so she was starting as I was leaving.'  
>'What time would her surgery have finished.'<br>'In theory by four but in practice it's usually nearer half past by the time the last patient's gone.'  
>'Who else would have been here with her?'<br>'The receptionist stays until the last patient has left. Then Rose would have tidied up her office, finished locking up and set the alarm.'  
>'Would the medical centre have been locked whilst she was finishing off, Sir?' asked James.<br>'Yes, but if someone rang the doorbell Rose would probably have let them in. She believed that a doctor should treat anyone who needed it.'  
>'Who was the receptionist yesterday afternoon, Sir?'<br>Doctor Mitchell paused for a moment then said,  
>'Trisha, I think. Sorry, I've gone blank. I can check in the office.'<br>'If you can give her address to Sergeant Hathaway, that would be very helpful, Sir,' said Robbie.  
>'Yes, of course.'<br>'Have you had any problems with any patients recently, Sir?' asked James.  
>'Nothing serious. We get sworn at fairly regularly and we had to improve the locks on our drugs cabinets because they got broken in to but no violence or threats.'<br>'Do you have any CCTV?'  
>'No, people's medical conditions are confidential. It wouldn't be appropriate… Would it have stopped him?'<br>Robbie thought about the uncontrolled nature of the attack and said,  
>'I don't think so, no.'<br>'Poor Rose…'  
>Doctor Mitchell rubbed his eyes, fighting back tears. Robbie looked at him sympathetically but said,<br>'One last thing, Sir, can you access Doctor O'Donnell's records from your computer? It would be useful to know if she entered any details for her attacker.'  
>'Yes, I can.'<br>'Sergeant Hathaway will take you to your office, Sir.'  
>'Can I see her? Rose?'<br>'Best not to at the moment, Sir. You might contaminate the scene.'  
>'Right. Yes, of course.'<br>James led Doctor Mitchell in to the medical centre.

Whilst James got the information from Doctor Mitchell's computer, Robbie went to the ambulance to see if he could get a statement from Mrs Moore. After talking to the paramedics, Robbie climbed into the ambulance and sat beside Mrs Moore. He sat quietly for a moment, letting her get used to his presence then said gently,  
>'Inspector Lewis, Oxfordshire Police, Mrs Moore. Can I ask you some questions?'<br>Mrs Moore gripped her hands together tightly in her lap but said,  
>'Yes.'<br>'Why were you coming in on a Sunday?'  
>'Doctor Mitchell and I come in one Sunday a month to go through the expenses and petty cash and to make sure that the accounts are all in order.'<br>'When you arrived this morning, was the outside door locked?'  
>'No.'<br>'Was that unusual?'  
>'Yes. Sometimes Doctor Mitchell arrives before me but his car wasn't here so I was surprised.'<br>'Was Doctor O'Donnell's car here?'  
>'Yes, it's the silver Vauxhall in the corner.'<br>'Was that unusual for a Sunday?'  
>'A bit but sometimes Doctor Mitchell asked her to come in and help so when I saw her car I thought that she'd opened up so I went…'<br>'You went to her office and found her…'  
>'Yes,' whispered Mrs Moore, starting to cry.<br>Robbie handed her a tissue and said,  
>'Thank you, Mrs Moore. We'll need a formal statement from you later but someone will ring you to arrange a convenient time.'<p>

James waited patiently as Doctor Mitchell booted up his computer and found the name and address of Doctor O'Donnell's daughter and of the receptionist who had been on duty the previous evening. A few minutes later, he was looking over Doctor Mitchell's shoulder as he accessed Doctor O'Donnell's patient notes and compared them with her appointments diary.  
>'I can't let you see these notes, Sergeant, but if you wouldn't mind waiting over there, I can read them and see if there's anything unusual about them.'<br>James resisted the temptation to throw his weight around; Doctor Mitchell was being fairly co-operative and the routine medical notes weren't likely to be relevant to the case. Forcing back a sigh, he sat in a chair in the corner and waited.  
>'This is interesting,' said Doctor Mitchell, 'Someone's tried to delete a file.'<br>'What sort of file?'  
>'A patient file. We have a security system in place that prevents patient notes and other vital files from being deleted. Let me get it up… it's a walk in, time four-twenty pm, which is ten minutes after she closed the patient notes for the last person in her appointment diary…'<br>'Does she give any information about this person, Sir?'  
>Doctor Mitchell hesitated and James said,<br>'This is probably her killer, Sir. Otherwise, why try to delete the file?'  
>'Let me read what she's written…'<br>Gritting his teeth, James waited. After a few seconds, Doctor Mitchell said,  
>'I'm releasing this to the police.'<br>James came and started to read over her shoulder as Doctor Mitchell said,  
>'He was a white male, aged twenty-nine, gave his name as Nigel Smith, date of birth, 5th June 1985, had a broken nose, lacerations on his left ear and right hand and assorted bruises. He refused to go A&amp;E and declined to say how he had been injured. Rose's notes stop in the middle of the next sentence.'<br>Reading the list of injuries, James felt certain that this was the man who had attacked Chief Superintendent Innocent. Feeling the black rage rising again, he said,  
>'Thank you, Sir.'<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

Doctor O'Donnell's daughter lived in Abingdon so Robbie asked the local police to inform her of her mother's death. Following James' report on the patient notes on Doctor O'Donnell's computer, Robbie had arranged for an updated BOLO to be issued but part way to the receptionist's house he said,  
>'It's not enough.'<br>'What's not enough, Sir?'  
>'The BOLO. We need to warn people. I'll have to do another press conference.'<br>'Are you going to inform the Chief Constable, Sir?'  
>'I suppose I'll have to,' said Robbie, resignedly, 'He's bound to want to be there.'<br>James kept prudently silent and after a minute Robbie took out his phone and called the Chief Constable and updated him. The Chief Constable was genuinely horrified by what had happened and supported Robbie's desire to warn the public and wanted to lead the press conference. Having agreed that the press conference should be held at noon, Robbie signed off with a grimace; he hated the political aspects of the job.

Miss Patricia Nelson, Trisha for short, was distraught but by dint of plying her with tea and sympathy they managed to coax her story out of her. The last patient had left at ten past four, she had shut down her computer and gone to let Doctor O'Donnell know that she was leaving. Doctor O'Donnell had come with her to the front door, they'd said goodbye and Doctor O'Donnell had locked up behind her.  
>'Are you sure she locked the door behind you?' asked Robbie.<br>'Yes, I heard her try the door to make sure it was locked.'  
>'Was there anyone in the car park when you left?'<br>'No.'  
>'How about walking along the street outside?'<br>'I'm not sure… I'm sorry, I can't remember.'  
>'Don't worry,' said Robbie, 'Call me if you remember anything.'<br>Whilst Robbie had been talking to Patricia Nelson, James had been looking around the room. Suddenly his eyes widened and he reached for a photo on the mantelpiece and said,  
>'Is this Doctor O'Donnell in the middle, Miss Nelson?'<br>'Yes…That was taken at the regatta last year.'  
>Trisha took the photo of herself with Doctor O'Donnell and another woman with shaking hands and began to cry again. Robbie looked at the photo, about to blast James for being so tactless but the words dried up in his throat as he found himself looking at a woman who could easily have been Jean Innocent's twin sister. Instead he asked,<br>'Did Doctor O'Donnell have any sisters?'  
>Trisha blinked, surprised by the change of topic, but said,<br>'I don't think so. She only mentioned her brothers. Why?'  
>'No reason, Miss.'<br>Robbie thanked Trisha, gave her his card and they left. Once they were in the car, Robbie said,  
>'We need to know whether or not they're related. Let's head to the hospital and talk to Chris Innocent.'<br>'You need to be at the station at twelve, Sir.'  
>Robbie frowned but said,<br>'All right. Drop me off at the station and you go to the hospital.'  
>'Sir.'<p>

When Robbie got back to the detectives' offices, he found Mr Jenkins looking at the photofit that the police sketch artist had compiled from the Squires' description. Going over, Robbie said,  
>'Thank you for coming in, Mr Jenkins.'<br>'Anything I can do to help. How's Jean?'  
>'Expected to make a full recovery, Sir.'<br>'Thank goodness.'  
>'What do you think, Sir? Is that the man you saw attack Jean?' asked Robbie, indicating the photofit.<br>'Probably.'  
>'Probably?'<br>'It was someone who looked quite like this man, Inspector, but it was dark and well, he's not exactly unique looking, is he?'  
>Robbie looked closely at the photofit and was forced to concede Mr Jenkins' point; the man in the photofit was very ordinary looking with no distinguishing features; the sort of person you wouldn't think twice about.<br>'No, he's not,' agreed Robbie, 'but this picture agrees with your recollection of the man, Sir?'  
>'Yes.'<br>Robbie thanked Mr Jenkins and let him go. It was only a partial identification but they were never going to get anything better than that when it all happened in the dark. Now they needed some way to find this ordinary looking man who was evil underneath.  
>Going into his office, Robbie started to read through all the reports from everyone, looking for a clue.<p>

James found Chris Innocent beside his mother's bed, holding her hand and talking quietly to her. When he saw James, Chris blushed and stood awkwardly, dropping his mother's hand. James pretended not to notice, saying,  
>'Sorry to disturb you, Sir, but I wondered if I could ask you some questions?'<br>'Is it all right if we stay here? It's just they said that Mum might wake up soon and I don't want her to be alone when she does.'  
>'Of course, Sir. We just need some family background, if that's all right?'<br>'Family background?'  
>'Yes. Do you have any aunts…on your mother's side, that is?'<br>'No. Mum's got a younger brother but no sisters.'  
>'Have you met many of your mother's female cousins?'<br>'A few. Why?'  
>'Have you ever met or heard your mother mention a Rose O'Donnell?'<br>Chris thought then said,  
>'I don't think so. Do you want me to ask Uncle Neil?'<br>'If you wouldn't mind, Sir.'  
>'I promised to ring him this morning anyway.'<br>Chris took his phone out of his pocket and grimaced,  
>'No signal. I'll have to go outside. Would you stay with Mum?'<br>'Of course.'  
>Chris walked away and James sat down next to the bed.<br>As he tried to think of what to say, James noticed that the chief superintendent was now in a natural sleep. As he watched, she stirred restlessly, muttering incoherently. Collecting his thoughts, James said,  
>'James Hathaway again, Ma'am. Inspector Lewis wanted to come but he's got to do a press conference with the Chief Constable in half an hour so there wasn't enough time. Everyone's pleased that you're going to be all right, the station isn't the same without you there.'<br>James paused, wanting to say something personal but he was very aware that the uniformed officers by the door could overhear every word he said. Accepting that he was going to be restricted to trite generalisations, he continued,  
>'There have been some developments with the case; one of us will update you once you're better.'<br>James wasn't sure what the etiquette was when your boss was unconscious but he didn't think that telling her that a woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to her had been murdered was a good idea.  
>'Chris has just popped out to use his phone, he'll be back in a minute.'<br>Feeling very awkward, James cast around for other things to say; commenting on the weather seemed beyond trite. Hesitantly, he started telling her about his band.

Ten minutes later, Chris Innocent returned. He walked over to James and said,  
>'Uncle Neil has never heard of Rose O'Donnell either. Why did you want to know?'<br>James was about to stonewall when he considered how seeing a photo of Doctor O'Donnell on television would make Chris feel so he pulled Chris into the corner of the room and quietly explained.  
>'Was it the same man?' asked Chris.<br>'We think so though we're waiting for fingerprint and DNA confirmation.'  
>'And she looked just like Mum?'<br>'Yes.'  
>Chris shuddered and said,<br>'God, that's horrible!'  
>'Yes, it is.'<br>Chris and James both turned to look protectively at Jean Innocent, now showing clear signs of waking.


	13. Chapter 13

Robbie gritted his teeth as the Chief Constable fielded another barbed question from a reporter; were the police suggesting that it was women's responsibility to keep themselves safe? The Chief Constable replied that the police whilst ever vigilant, couldn't be everywhere at once and indeed that the idea of a police officer on every street corner was anathema to him with its overtones of a police state. The next reporter implied that the police were being sexist by issuing a warning. The Chief Constable adroitly suggested that the women of Oxford were all highly intelligent, capable adults who nevertheless would welcome a heads up from the police when a dangerous predator was loose in Oxford.

Robbie tuned out and thought about what he needed to do next. The information from Doctor O'Donnell's patient notes made it virtually certain that the man who killed her was the same man who had attacked Jean Innocent but they needed fingerprint and DNA confirmation for the courts. That was in the labs hands and he knew that he could rely on Laura to chase that. He needed to get the murder board updated and check that all the evidence had been logged in and get someone to check that nothing significant had been overlooked. And he needed to see where they were with checking on people with grudges against Jean Innocent.

The thinly veiled fencing match between the reporters and the Chief Constable finally came to its end and Robbie was able to escape. He turned his phone back on and discovered a message from James asking him to call him. Robbie waited until the station door had shut behind him and dialled. James answered immediately,

'Sir?'

'What have you got for me?'

'No evidence that Doctor O'Donnell and Chief Superintendent Innocent are related, Sir. Mr Innocent rang his uncle to check and neither of them have heard of Doctor O'Donnell.'

'All right. Head back then.'

'Actually, Sir, I wondered if you wanted me to stay here; Chief Superintendent Innocent is coming round.'

'Will they let you talk to her straight away, d'you think?'

'Will they be able to stop her, Sir? Is she likely to allow a member of the medical staff to intervene no matter how badly she's feeling?'

'No,' said Robbie, knowing that if it were him he'd want to give a preliminary statement as soon as he woke up, 'All right. Stay there until she wakes up and take a statement as soon as possible.'

'Yes, Sir.'

James had slipped out to have a sandwich and a cigarette and when he returned, Jean Innocent was looking blearily at her son. James felt a wave of happiness going through him and when she looked over at him he smiled involuntarily. She smiled back, saying,

'James, come and update me.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Chris, why don't you go and get some lunch? James will look after me until you get back.'

'Are you sure, Mum?'

'Yes, I'll be fine.'

Chris looked doubtful but got up to leave, saying,

'I won't be long.'

'I won't leave until you get back, Sir,' said James.

Chris left and James sat down next to Jean's bed. Two seconds later, he found himself very definitely looking at the chief superintendent. Meeting her eyes, he said,

'Do you feel well enough to tell me what happened?'

'Of course I do,' said Jean angrily, 'The only trouble is that I don't remember a damn thing!'

'What do you remember, Ma'am?'

'I got home from work, changed, made dinner, sat in the garden to eat it, washed up and went into the lounge to work. I remember sitting down…and then nothing until I woke up ten minutes ago covered in bruises and with a ferocious headache. What the hell happened to me?'

'You were attacked…'

'I had worked that out myself, Sergeant,' said Jean tartly, 'Who by and what did they do?'

'We were hoping that you would be able to tell us, Ma'am.'

'I assume the headache and memory loss mean that I have a head injury?'

'Yes but the scans were both clear, there's no brain damage. I don't know what the doctors have told Chris but Laura said that you would probably have retrograde amnesia so you'll probably remember everything later.'

'Good…Two scans? How long have I been in here?'

'Two days.'

'Two days…it's Sunday?'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

James watched as Chief Superintendent Innocent made the mental adjustment, blinking as she processed what James had told her. After a moment she said,

'Induced coma or was I unconscious for two days?'

'Induced coma.'

Jean nodded then said,

'I seem to be bruised everywhere except my face.'

She looked critically at her arms, wincing as she moved, and said,

'Did he use a belt?'

'Yes.'

'And I was tied down?'

'Yes.'

'Gagged?'

'Yes.'

'But not raped?'

'No.'

'Did I escape before he finished?'

'Yes,' said James unable to stop the image of Doctor O'Donnell's body flashing through his mind. Luckily Jean was distracted by the pain and didn't notice the change in James' expression. Taking a deep breath, Jean said,

'You need to check that Gerald Stockton is still in prison.'

'Gerald Stockton?'

'Also known as The Blunt Instrument Killer. I arrested him in nineteen eighty-eight.'

James was about to ask about Gerald Stockton when Jean shifted and gasped, paling as pain shot through her. Horrified, he reached towards her then stopped as he realised that touching her would hurt her. Instead, he diverted his hand to the call button, saying,

'I'll find out about Gerald Stockton, Ma'am. You should rest now.'

Jean glared at him but her head was pounding and every inch of her body hurt so she reluctantly lay back and waited for the nurse. The nurse gave Jean a strong painkiller and ordered James not to talk about work. James looked thoughtfully at Jean and said,

'Would you like me to read to you?'

'What?'

'I could read to you…if you think the distraction might help?'

'All right.'

Jean was speaking through gritted teeth as she waited for the painkillers to kick in so James was not surprised by the grudging reply. Without saying anything else, he picked up the newspaper that was on her bedside table and began to read.

Robbie looked around the detectives' offices and zeroed in on the whiteboard, reading through Doctor O'Donnell's biographical information and the little they had so far on her murder.

'Any known connection between Doctor O'Donnell and Chief Superintendent Innocent?' he asked.

'No, Sir,' replied Hooper, 'They may have met at a concert or a charity event but they aren't on any committees together nor is Doctor O'Donnell on our call out list.'

'What about earlier in their careers? Have they worked in the same cities previously?'

'I'll look into it, Sir, but Doctor O'Donnell has been in Oxford for over twenty years so I don't think so.'

'So it's most likely all about appearance for him,' said Robbie pensively.

'The resemblance is amazing,' said Hooper, 'Have the press got photos of them both?'

'We didn't give them photos and we haven't released Doctor O'Donnell's name to the press yet but they're bound to find out and the Oxford Post will have pictures of them.'

'So they're certain to make the connection.'

'Unless they're blind,' said Robbie pragmatically.

The press were certain to go to town when they saw the pictures of Jean Innocent and Rose O'Donnell together but that could work to the police's advantage; they wanted anyone who looked similar and was of a similar age to be cautious. Robbie was happy to put up with any amount of press hysteria if it saved lives.

James called Robbie from his car in the hospital car park,

'Sir?'

'James. Is the chief superintendent awake?'

'Yes.'

'How is she?'

'In a lot of pain and doesn't remember anything after she sat down in the lounge at the moment.'

'Damn! I was hoping that she'd recognised him.'

'No, but she recognised the injuries, Sir. She said that we need to check that Gerald Stockton is still in prison.'

'Gerald Stockton?'

'Also known as The Blunt Instrument Killer, Sir. Innocent was his arresting officer.'

'Of course! I knew there was something familiar about this case. But there'd have been an alert if he'd escaped, surely?'

'What if he'd been paroled, Sir?'

'From Broadmoor?'

'He was found criminally insane?'

'I think so. We weren't directly involved but we were on high alert in case he moved from Reading to Oxford and started killing women here. You get back here. I'll go on the system and find out where he is.'

'Yes, Sir.'


	14. Chapter 14

When James got back to the station, Robbie was talking on the phone to someone, saying,

'And you're certain?…Right…Thanks.'

Robbie hung up, turned to James and said,

'Gerald Stockton is securely locked up in Broadmoor where he has been for the last twenty-five years.'

'So why was Chief Superintendent Innocent so convinced it was him?'

'She has just regained consciousness, she's probably not with it at the moment.'

'She was fully compos mentis, Sir,' said James vehemently, 'and why was she the target? The arresting officer in the Gerald Stockton case; I can't believe it's a coincidence.'

'All right,' said Robbie, 'Get the original case files sent over and see what Gerald Stockton's MO was and compare it with Doctor O'Donnell and Chief Superintendent Innocent's injuries.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'I'm off to Doctor O'Donnell's post mortem.'

'Say hello to Laura from me.'

Robbie slipped quietly into the morgue; Laura had already started and did not like noisy interruptions. For the next couple of hours, he watched silently as Laura expertly and compassionately examined and then dissected the body of Rose O'Donnell. After she had finished, she paused to collect her thoughts then said,

'I'll get the report to you tomorrow but the head injury is what killed her. We found blood and hair on the corner of her desk and the shape of the injury is consistent with someone slamming her head into the corner of the desk. She died within minutes.'

'Could it have been an accident?'

'No, to get that fracture pattern a great deal of force must have been used. Too much for what he wanted, I suspect.'

'How d'you mean?'

'She never regained consciousness and wouldn't have felt what he did to her.'

'But he did it anyway.'

'Yes, whoever did this is a very disturbed individual. He must have realised that she was dead part way through but he carried on and he raped her post mortem too.'

Robbie grimaced but forced himself to ask,

'Did he use a condom?'

'No. I've sent samples off to the lab for DNA profiling.'

Robbie nodded and said,

'What weapons did he use on her?'

'Definitely the belt, which was the same as the one used on Jean, by the way, and a hammer of some sort. I'll get a friend of mine to look at the fractures but I suspect it'll come down to an ordinary hammer.'

'But her face was untouched?'

'Yes. Why?'

'Jean's awake and she thinks it's connected to an old case of hers but the perpetrator's still in Broadmoor so if it is connected then we're looking at a copycat.'

'If it is a copycat then he will probably have written to the original killer, maybe even visited him.'

'I hope so because otherwise we're looking for a needle in a haystack.'

'How is Jean?'

'In a lot of pain and doesn't remember anything about the attack at the moment.'

'Was she alert?'

'According to James, very much so. He practically snapped my head off when I suggested that she might not be with it.'

'Well he is very fond of her.'

'They've always got on well,' agreed Robbie absent-mindedly.

'I'll go and visit her later.'

'Give her my best.'

'Will do.'

They both had a lot to do so Robbie gave Laura a peck on the lips and reluctantly left.

James read through the files on Gerald Stockton with a mixture of disgust and admiration. Disgust for what Stockton had done to his victims and admiration for Jean Innocent's detective skills. Stockton had lured his victims to his house, stunned them, then tied them to a bed and spent several days slowly using an assortment of different tools to kill them. All the victims had been raped on multiple occasions as well. Stockton had avoided suspicion because he didn't fit the apparent profile; he worked full time and lived in a terraced house in the centre of Reading. The police had assumed that they were looking for someone unemployed who lived in a secluded area outside the city. Until, that was, Jean Innocent, newly promoted to detective sergeant, had been put on the case. She had asked the pathologist about several of his findings and had realised that the victims had all been gagged and that the attacker used a drip not only to keep them hydrated but to sedate them during the day too. This meant that the killer didn't need to worry about noise so could live in the city and probably worked. Reading between the lines, James could tell that her DI had been sceptical but with six young women dead already he was desperate so allowed Jean to investigate further. Jean had fanatically followed lead after lead, narrowing down her list of suspects. When Lucy Smith, aged twenty, was reported missing one Sunday morning by her best friend (who hadn't heard from her since her date on Friday evening) Jean convinced a judge to sign a search warrant for Gerald Stockton's house. When they broke in, they found Lucy Smith horrifically injured but still alive in Stockton's back bedroom. Once caught, Gerald Stockton had gleefully confessed, proudly telling them about all the women he'd killed (including the elderly neighbour who'd become suspicious) in gory and repulsive detail. It had been no surprise to anyone when he'd been found criminally insane and sent to Broadmoor.

James forced himself to do a comparison between Stockton's MO and that of Jean Innocent's and Doctor O'Donnell's attacker. Unfortunately, the results were not as conclusive as James would have liked. Sighing, he put the comparison aside and began to go through the list of evidence from Doctor O'Donnell's office.

When Robbie got back to the station he found James writing a list on a whiteboard,

'I thought it was time for a summary, Sir.'

'Good idea. How did you get on looking at the Stockton case?'

'Inconclusive, Sir. There are some striking similarities but there are some big differences too.'

'Similarities?'

'The actual physical attack is almost identical, including the victim's face being left undamaged. Stockton did it so that he could see the pain on his victims' faces. The weapons found at Chief Superintendent Innocent's house are an exact match for the weapons Stockton used.'

Robbie nodded and said,

'Differences?'

'Stockton met his victims in pubs and persuaded them to go on dates with him. According to Lucy Smith, the only victim to survive, he lured her into his house by saying that his cat had had kittens and he needed to check on them before they set off on their date. He even had a tape recording of a cat with kittens playing in the bedroom. He sedated his victims whilst he was at work in the day and tortured them in the evenings. Everything Stockton did was meticulously planned. The attack on Chief Superintendent Innocent, whilst planned in advance, took place in her house and the killer didn't have a drip or any way to sedate her. And the attack on Doctor O'Donnell appears to have been completely unplanned. Also, Stockton's victims were all women in their late teens or early twenties living alone.'

'That could be personal preference and might explain the difference in MO. You're not going to convince a woman like Jean Innocent to go on a date with you after five minutes chat at a pub.'

'Or if you did, she'd meet you there and arrange her own transport. And she'd tell someone exactly where she was going and she'd probably send a photo of him to someone too,' said James.

'True. It's not an exact copycat but I don't think we can ignore a possible link with Gerald Stockton,' said Robbie slowly, 'Did he make threats against the chief super?'

'Yes, he told her that he was going to find a way to kill her even if it took the rest of his life.'

'Get the prison to send over all his correspondence and a list of everyone who's ever visited him then get a specialist to look at it.'

'A specialist, Sir?'

'This is Oxford, James; there's bound to be someone who knows all about serial killers and the people who write to them. We want to know if there's anything sinister about any of his correspondents or any of his replies.'

'Yes, Sir.'


	15. Chapter 15

They spent the rest of the day going through reports and listing actions. Robbie was about to suggest calling it a day when his phone rang,

'Hello, Laura,' he said, 'I…'

'Someone's following me.'

'Are you sure?' asked Robbie, paling.

'Yes. What should I do?'

Laura sounded slightly panicky and Robbie felt his throat closing over as fear shot through him.

'Where are you, Laura?'

'Walking along the High.'

'Have you gone past the mini-market? The one that stays open late?'

'No.'

'How far from it are you?'

'About a hundred yards.'

'Go in there. Go to the tills and wait there. I'm on my way. Stay on the line.'

Robbie lowered his phone slightly and said,

'Laura's being followed. Get uniform to the mini-market on the High.'

'Sir.'

James ran through the station, talking urgently on his phone as he tried to keep up with Robbie who was moving the fastest that he'd ever seen. When they got to the car, Robbie tossed him the keys, saying,

'You drive.'

James got in and drove as fast as he could. In the background he could hear Robbie talking to Laura and felt a slight surge of relief when he heard Robbie saying,

'Stand by the tills. We'll be there in a couple of minutes.'

As they rounded the corner from Saint Aldates to the High Street and neared the mini-market a patrol car drew up from the opposite direction. The patrol car had its lights and siren on and as James pulled in he saw a man shoot out of the shadows and run off. Turning the engine off, James said,

'Go to Laura, Sir,' and took off after the suspect.

Later, Robbie was amazed that he remembered to take the keys out of the car and lock up before he ran into the mini-market.

Laura was stood by the tills, fidgeting nervously, when she heard running feet and saw Robbie coming towards her. Two seconds later, she was in his arms, clinging to him. Robbie held Laura tightly, burying his face in her hair and saying,

'You're safe, Bonny Lass. I've got you.'

Laura tipped her face up to his and they kissed, oblivious to the other people in the shop.

'I was so scared,' said Laura.

'So was I.'

They clung to each other for a few more seconds then Robbie put his arm round her shoulders and led her out of the shop, saying,

'James took off after someone.'

'So he definitely was following me?'

'Either that or he was up to no good in some other way; he ran when he saw the patrol car.'

They perched on a wall near the car. Robbie's arm was around Laura's shoulder and Laura leant into him gratefully, shivering slightly in reaction. Robbie tightened his hold on her, saying,

'You cold?'

'No, just a bit shaken.'

Robbie turned and put his other arm around her too, hugging her. Laura snuggled in and felt the fear sliding away.

A couple of minutes later, Robbie's phone rang,

'Lewis.'

'We've got him, Sir,' said James, panting heavily.

'Good work.'

'Uniform are taking him back to the station. I'll be back in a minute, Sir.'

'No hurry, lad, get your breath back.'

'Is Laura all right?'

'Yes. A bit shaken but otherwise she's fine.'

'Good.'

James rang off and Robbie told Laura what he'd said then added,

'You'll have to make a statement, I'm afraid.'

'That's all right; I was coming to the station anyway.'

'Oh?'

'I came in your car this morning, remember?'

'I'd forgotten. You should have rung, I would have come and picked you up.'

'It's a beautiful evening and it was only six-thirty when I left. I fancied the walk…up until I realised I was being followed, that is. It went down hill after that.'

Robbie relaxed a bit; Laura's sarcastic comment meant that she was starting to feel better.

A couple of minutes later James arrived, still noticeably out of breath and looking disheveled.

'Did he resist arrest?' asked Robbie.

'No. I rugby tackled him.'

'Is it the man who attacked Jean?' asked Laura.

'No,' said James, sounding disgruntled, 'Not unless he's grown three inches and found a miracle cure for a broken nose.'

'So why was he following me?' said Laura.

'Let's go to the station and ask him,' said Robbie.

They got in the car and Robbie drove back to the station.

When they got to the station, Robbie got Laura a mug of tea and some biscuits then asked James,

'Where is he?'

'Interview Room One, Sir.'

'Let's go and see what he has to say for himself, shall we?'

'You can't, Sir.'

Robbie glared at James as he continued,

'You and Doctor Hobson are in a relationship, it's a clear conflict of interests, Sir. Nothing he tells you will be admissible in court.'

'I suppose you're going to tell me I can't take Laura's statement either.'

'No, you can't. You're too close to it, Sir.'

'Fine. You do it,' said Robbie irritably.

'Actually, Sir. I wondered about getting Hooper and Grey to question him.'

'Oh?'

'They'll be working together a lot once we're gone, Sir.'

'All right,' said Robbie, nodding.

Hooper and Grey needed to question suspects together to figure out the best dynamic for them as a team and since this wasn't the killer, this was an ideal opportunity.

'If we let uniform take Laura's statement when she's ready, we can observe,' said James, 'Chief Superintendent Innocent's bound to want an assessment, after all.'

'True.'

Robbie went over to Laura and said,

'Is it all right if James doesn't take your statement, Pet?'

Laura raised her eyebrows at Robbie calling her 'Pet' at work and said dryly,

'I'm a big girl, Robbie, I'll be fine.'

His years of knowledge of Laura meant that Robbie easily interpreted the warning in Laura's semi-playful words; she did not appreciate being patronised one little bit and she was giving warning that he was on the verge of being slapped down. Rubbing his hands over his head, he said,

'Of course. Call me when you're done.'

'All right. Now go and do your observations; I need to know whether I need to take out an injunction or not.'

The idea that Laura had a stalker made Robbie go cold and without another word he went to the observation room for Interview Room One.

The man in Interview Room One was in his early twenties, tall and fairly good looking and dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. He was also extremely nervous. When Hooper and Grey came in he jumped and looked nauseous. Hooper sat down opposite the man whilst Grey wandered casually around the room, passing directly behind the suspect before eventually sitting down.

Hooper started the tape and stated who was present then said,

'You say your name is Andrew Cameron, Sir?'

'Yes, that's right.'

'And you work in the forensics lab at the hospital?'

Hooper's voice was paternal and the young man visibly relaxed, saying,

'Yes, I started a month ago.'

'So, you'll have an identity badge?' snapped Grey.

Cameron jumped but stammered,

'Y…yes. It's here.'

He reached into his jeans' pocket and pulled out a NHS identity badge and passed it over the table. Hooper checked it and handed it back, saying,

'So you were telling the truth. Good. So why were you following Doctor Hobson?'

'I…I wasn't.'

'We've got CCTV footage of you waiting outside the hospital until Doctor Hobson leaves and then following her to the supermarket and waiting outside.'

'I just happened to be going that way.'

'Then why did you run?' asked Grey.

'I…I…'

'Tell us the truth,' said Grey, looking forcefully at Andrew Cameron.

'I…um…'

'Explain what happened, we'll understand,' said Hooper, making his voice even more avuncular.

Cameron locked his eyes on Hooper and said desperately,

'I was trying to protect her.'

'Protect her? What from?'

'Can't you see? She could be the killer's next target?'

In the observation room, Robbie stiffened and James prepared himself to stop Robbie from interrupting but Robbie just looked intensely at Andrew Cameron.

'What makes you say that, Sir?' said Grey.

'The killer's targeting professional women in their forties, just like Doctor Hobson.'

'Doctor Hobson doesn't fit the same physical profile as Chief Superintendent Innocent and Doctor O'Donnell,' said Hooper soothingly.

'But what makes you think that he's interested in their physical appearance? What if it's strong women in positions of power?'

'Unlikely, Sir,' said Grey, 'Killers like this one virtually always chose their victims based on physical appearance.'

'But what if it's eye colour or shoe size or something like that?'

'We'll look into it, Sir. But in the meantime, if you wanted to protect Doctor Hobson, why didn't you walk alongside her?'

'I…I was going to but…'

'But what?'

Andrew Cameron looked mortified and said,

'I thought she was going to leave at five-thirty and I was going to walk out with her and just stay with her until she got to where she was going but instead she went to visit a friend on one of the wards. When she came out, I started to walk towards her but…um… I wimped out.'

'Wimped out?' said Hooper curiously, 'You were going to ask her out, you mean?'

'Yes…no…I don't know. I mean, I thought that if we walked together then maybe I could ask her to go for a drink with me.'

'So you have romantic feelings towards her?'

'Yes,' said Andrew Cameron, blushing, 'She's amazing.'

Hooper and Grey exchanged resigned glances, then Hooper said,

'So, having wimped out, why did you follow her?'

'I was going to go home but then I thought, 'What if he grabs her off the street and I could have stopped him but went home instead?'.'

'So instead, you followed Doctor Hobson at a distance and scared the living daylights out of her.'

'Yes… God, she must hate me.'

'I don't think she's very pleased with you but I doubt she hates you,' said Hooper, 'I think you can expect to be told off though.'

Andrew Cameron groaned and put his head in his hands.

'Have you followed Doctor Hobson before?' asked Grey quietly.

'No, of course not, Doctor O'Donnell was only killed yesterday.'

Cameron sounded genuinely bewildered and behind the glass, James heaved a sigh of relief, turning to Robbie and saying,

'An infatuated idiot not a stalker, thank goodness.'

'Seems like it,' conceded Robbie.

They watched as Hooper and Alex finished the interview with Andrew Cameron, pushing him on his actions and motivation until they were sure that the embarrassed and tearful young man was telling the truth.

A couple of minutes later, Laura rang to say that she had finished giving her statement so James and Robbie went back to their office to meet her.


	16. Chapter 16

Laura looked tired and irritated and James faded tactfully into the background, pretending to check his phone for texts, so that Robbie and Laura could at least have the illusion of privacy.

'All right?' asked Robbie warily.

'Yes, just tired and hungry. Are you done?'

'Shouldn't be long. Just need to wait for Hooper and Grey to finish up.'

'I'll go on ahead and get some food on.'

'I'll get uniform to give you a lift and check the house.'

'What? Isn't that a bit excessive?'

'No. You can wait for me if you'd rather.'

'I'd _rather_ get a taxi and go home.'

James looked up from his phone at the edge in Laura's voice. Robbie seemed oblivious as he said,

'I'm not letting you go home alone, Laura.'

'You're not _letting_ me? said Laura angrily.

James cringed but Robbie said firmly,

'No, I'm not.'

Laura picked up her bag and stormed towards the door. Robbie blocked her way, holding her shoulders. Laura turned blazing eyes on him, saying furiously,

'Let me go! Now!'

'No. I don't care how angry you are, Laura; I'm not letting the woman I love put herself in danger.'

'Don't be…' began Laura furiously but then she looked at Robbie in amazement and said,

'You love me?'

'Yes, I do.'

Robbie rubbed his head, looking anxiously at Laura.

James quietly lifted his phone and began to take pictures of them.

Laura grabbed Robbie's shoulders and pulled him down to her and kissed him hard then said,

'I love you too.'

Robbie beamed and kissed her tenderly. Laura relaxed into his embrace for a few seconds but then pulled away, saying,

'Don't think you're off the hook; what on Earth are you talking about? I'm in danger? Were you forced to let my stalker go?'

'Ah, well…' said Robbie, trying to regain his train of thought.

James reluctantly took one last picture of them and said,

'I think he's let Andrew Cameron's theories to get to him.'

'Andrew Cameron? My new lab tech? He was following me?'

'Yes,' replied James.

'Why?'

'He was worried that the killer might target you next?' said Robbie.

'So why didn't he come up to me and say something?' asked Laura.

'Because he has a crush on you and was too shy to approach you,' explained James.

'A crush on _me_? But I'm old enough to be his mother.'

'Does that matter for crushes though?' asked James, 'My first crush was on my history teacher at secondary school and she was probably forty years older than me.'

'I suppose you're right,' said Laura, 'My first crush was a teacher who was much older then me too.'

'And crushes on the boss are common,' said James.

'Particularly when the boss is as beautiful as you,' said Robbie.

'Hmm, flattery, Inspector Lewis?'

'Truth, Doctor.'

Laura smiled softly at Robbie but turned the conversation back to her would be protector, saying,

'So what are Andrew Cameron's theories?'

'That the killer might be targeting professional women in positions of power or that it might some minor physical similarity like eye colour or shoe size.'

'Well, if it's the first, does a GP qualify? There are a lot of female GP's now and I'm not aware that Rose O'Donnell was on the council or a magistrate or anything else.'

'No, she wasn't but to a deranged misogynist being a doctor might be enough,' said Robbie.

'In that case, why did he choose someone who could be Jean's twin as his second victim? Physical appearance is normally the most important factor for killers of this type. You know that, Robbie.'

'All right,' conceded Robbie, 'but what if it is something like eye colour?'

'What colour are Jean's eyes?' asked Laura.

'Hazel,' said James without hesitation.

'So different eye colour. Different hair colour. Jean is taller than I am and I think her feet are bigger than mine. Unless it's something really obscure, I don't think that I'm at risk.'

'Mebbe not,' said Robbie begrudgingly, 'but…'

'But you're still feeling paranoid and overprotective,' said Laura matter-of-factly.

'I'm not sure I'd phrase it quite like that,' said Robbie, smiling reluctantly, 'More that I'm feeling cautious.'

Laura snorted,

'I think I phrased it perfectly. Robbie you can't dictate to me just because you're feeling paranoid.'

'I'm sorry, Pet. Our Lyn keeps telling me off for being overprotective too.'

Robbie sounded genuinely contrite and something inside Laura relaxed. It didn't take a genius to work out why he was overprotective towards the people he loved; having lost his wife, he wanted to wrap them all in bubble wrap. But at least Robbie knew that he overreacted so they could work on it.

'You're forgiven,' she said, 'So can I go home now?'

'Ah,' said Robbie awkwardly, 'If I say I'll buy you a meal at The Trout, will you wait?'

Laura raised an eyebrow at him and he continued guiltily,

'I can't get it out of my head that the killer's broken into your cottage and is waiting for you.'

Laura sighed but said,

'All right but you're buying the beer too.'

'Deal,' said Robbie, relieved.

'And once this case is over, we're going to sit down and talk about this.'

'Yes,' said Robbie, accepting that Laura wasn't going to let it drop. Having fallen in love with an independent woman, he knew that he couldn't suddenly expect her to defer to him, nor would he want her to.

Laura smiled and went and idly looked at the murder board. Reminded of an errand, she said,

'Jean was wondering if someone could bring her phone and laptop in to the hospital.'

'I'll drop them in on my way home,' said James.

'Good,' said Laura, 'Will you have time to go to her house? She needs some clothes.'

'Clothes,' said James, blushing furiously as he thought about going through Jean's drawers, 'I don't think…'

'Really, James?' said Laura laughing, 'It's only clothes.'

'I know,' said James stiffly, 'It just doesn't seem appropriate for me to be rummaging through Chief Superintendent Innocent's clothes. Couldn't Chris do it?'

'He hasn't got a car and Jean's sent him home for the evening.'

'Why don't you come with me and pack some clothes and I'll take them in?' said James desperately.

'Sorry, James, I've got a hot date.'

'Um…'

Seeing James struggling to think of an excuse, Laura took pity on him, saying,

'If you pick up her dressing gown and slippers, I'll get the rest tomorrow.'

'Thank you, Laura.'

James' gratitude was heartfelt and Laura suppressed her amusement; despite being so mature in so many ways, James was surprisingly innocent about some things.

Hooper came into the office and said,

'Do you have a minute, Sir?'

'Yes, go ahead.'

Hooper hesitated, looking at Laura but then said,

'We've checked CCTV footage for the last two weeks and it seems as though Cameron was telling the truth; he hasn't followed Doctor Hobson before.'

'Good,' said Robbie.

'So, should we charge him or let him off with a caution?'

'What do you think, Hooper?'

'The lad seems completely genuine, Sir; I think we should let him off with a caution, as long as Doctor Hobson is okay with that.'

Robbie looked over at Laura, who said,

'As long as you make it clear that you'll make his life a misery if he does it again.'

'Will do, Doctor. Sir?'

'Half of me wants to throw the book at him but that's why we aren't allowed to deal with cases where we're personally involved. Yes, caution him and send him home.'

'Yes, Sir.'

Hooper left and Robbie turned to Laura and said,

'Dinner?'

'Finally.'

James walked into Jean's side ward feeling rather self-conscious. He hadn't had a carrier bag in his car so he was carrying Jean's dressing gown and slippers balanced precariously on top of her laptop and charger. The nurse at the nursing station had smiled sweetly at him, which had just made him feel even more awkward. Jean looked up as he came in and smiled, saying,

'Is that my things?'

'Some of them, Ma'am. Laura's going to get the rest tomorrow morning.'

Jean looked at the embarrassed man in front of her and heroically resisted the temptation to tease him, simply saying,

'Thank you, James.'

He handed her the dressing gown and laptop, put her slippers on the floor by her bed then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out her phone and its charger. Jean grimaced when she saw how clean it was knowing that there was only one reason for it to have been cleaned,

'Gurdip's had this, hasn't he?'

Gurdip always cleaned any piece of technology he had been given, insisting that it was good for preventing the spread of infection. Jean suspected that there were deeper reasons behind it but since it was a positive thing she didn't pry.

'Yes,' admitted James reluctantly. He'd hoped that Robbie would be the one who had this discussion.

'And my right to privacy?'

'You were unconscious so we got Chris' permission,' said James, even more reluctantly. He liked Chris Innocent and didn't want to get him in to trouble. Jean sighed and said resignedly,

'I suppose it had to be done… I take it you've interviewed Simon then?'

'Yes, Ma'am. He wasn't the man that attacked you.'

Jean noticed the slightly odd phrasing but was in too much discomfort to follow it up.

'My laptop too?'

'Yes, Ma'am. But only Gurdip, Ma'am.'

'Well, at least it'll be nice and clean.'

'Ma'am.'

'So, how's the case going?'

'Slowly, Ma'am. The good news is that Gerald Stockton is still safely in Broadmoor.'

'But…'

'We're looking into the possibility of a copycat.'

'A copycat? Based on the attack on me alone?'

James hesitated and Jean grimaced as the realisation hit her,

'There have been more attacks, haven't there?'

'One more. He attacked and killed a doctor in her surgery.'

'Who? Not Laura? No, of course not, she was here earlier.'

'Doctor Rose O'Donnell. She was a GP at the Woodstock Road Medical Centre. Have you ever met her, Ma'am?'

Jean thought for a minute then said,

'No, I don't think so. The attack had the same MO?'

'In some ways…enough to convince Robbie to tell me to get all of Gerald Stockton's correspondence to an expert.'

'Keep me updated.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Anything else?'

'Well, I just happened to take some pictures of Inspector Lewis and Doctor Hobson this afternoon…'

'Oh?'

James took out his phone and started telling Jean about Laura being followed and about Robbie and Laura's 'discussion', handing her his phone so she could scroll through the pictures.


	17. Chapter 17

Laura sighed as she dialed Jean's mobile. She had left early so she could collect everything that Jean needed and have time to take it to her but whilst she had been at Jean's house, she been called out to a car accident. Sadly there were two fatalities so she wouldn't be able to get up to the ward until after lunch. After three rings, Jean picked up,

'Innocent.'

'Jean, it's Laura. How are you feeling today?'

'A bit better, thanks.'

'Good. I've got your stuff but I've been called out to an RTA so I won't be able to get up to the ward until after lunch.'

'That's all right; it's not as if I'm going anywhere.'

'Sorry.'

'Why? You've got a job to do. Besides, you sent James in with the most important thing, my dressing gown. I was fed up of worrying about flashing the uniformed officers on the door every time I needed the loo.'

Laura laughed at the image of Jean trying to hold her hospital gown closed as she sidled to the bathroom.

'I tried to get James to get the other things you wanted but he got so embarrassed that I took pity on him in the end.'

'He was still blushing when he brought my dressing gown and slippers.'

Laura smiled then reluctantly said,

'There is one other thing…'

'Yes?'

'The doctor in A&E who admitted you was concerned about your head injury so didn't take a full set of pictures of your injuries…'

'You want to do it today.'

'Yes, before the bruises start to fade.'

'Help me take a shower and you can take as many pictures as you like.'

'Thanks, Jean.'

When James arrived at the station the next day he found a large package from Broadmoor prison on his desk. Opening it, he found copies of all correspondence to and from Gerald Stockton along with a list of everyone who had visited him. James booted up his computer and started looking through the numerous Oxford dons for the right specialist. After half an hour he had decided so picked up the phone and made an appointment to meet Doctor Blackheath. As he put the phone down, Robbie came in,

'Morning, James.'

'Morning, Sir.'

'Is that Gerald Stockton's correspondence?'

'Yes. I've just arranged for a Doctor Blackheath at Balliol to look at them. I'm headed there now.'

'I'll come along. We can summarise where we are in the car.'

Their discussion in the car was frustrating. The attacker had gone to ground and without a name or a proper description, they were stuck.

'Still, we might have a name soon, Sir,' said James.

'If this bloke finds something in the letters, you mean?'

'Yes. I did a bit of reading on the internet last night and Laura was right about copycats usually contacting their idols.'

'So hopefully one of the people in these letters is our man.'

'Yes.'

When they got to Balliol, Doctor Blackheath was waiting for them at the porter's lodge. The professor was a short man, barely up to Robbie's shoulder but he had a calm self-confidence that made his height irrelevant. He was also very excited about being asked to help with an active investigation. As soon as the introductions were over, he led them to his rooms, saying,

'You have all the correspondence?'

'Yes. We're very grateful to you for agreeing to look at this for us, Sir,' said James.

'No, I'm grateful to you, Sergeant. An opportunity to work on a case with the police comes once in a lifetime for someone in my field.'

'D'you think you'll be able to help us, Sir?' asked Robbie.

'If your man has written to Stockton, then yes, I will.'

They reached his study and James handed Doctor Blackheath the parcel. Doctor Blackheath opened the parcel as he continued,

'Most people who write to serial killers are women but I assume that you're looking for a man?'

'Yes.'

James didn't elaborate and Doctor Blackheath didn't ask, knowing that the details of the case would be confidential.

'That should make the process faster. You're looking for someone who idolises Stockton and might either be imitating him or following his instructions?'

'Yes, Sir.'

'Since the killings have just begun, I'm going to start with the most recent letters and work backwards. I've handed my lectures over to my research assistant so I can concentrate on this. I'll call you if I find anything.'

'Thank you, Sir,' said Robbie.

James echoed his thanks and they left Doctor Blackheath reading the first letter in the pile.

When they got back to the station, Robbie gathered everyone around and said,

'Updates?'

'The forensics report from Chief Superintendent Innocent's house is in,' said Grey.

'Anything we didn't already know?'

'No, Sir. We're still waiting on forensics from Doctor O'Donnell's office but the emergency comparison of fingerprints on the belt with those in her office and those at the chief super's house has given one match.'

'So it was definitely the same man?'

'According to forensics, yes. They've promised to get us the report asap, Sir.'

'Good. Anything else?'

'Jeff Lucas' alibi checked out; he was definitely at work that night,' said Julie.

'Good.'

'And DI Peterson asked if you could give him a ring but said that it's not urgent, Sir.'

'Right.'

Robbie paused and James asked,

'Are the DNA results back from the chief super's house?'

'No, Sir,' replied Hooper, 'nor the results from the fingerprint database.'

'Any sightings reported by the public?' asked Robbie.

'Fifteen. None of them have led anywhere so far, Sir.'

'He's gone to ground. Where would you go if you wanted to hide?'

'I'd just stay in my flat, Sir,' said Grey, 'and wait for the bruises to go down.'

'If he has a place to stay in Oxford. John Squires thought he'd been sleeping rough.'

'If that was the man,' pointed out James.

'True. Has anyone checked CCTV along the Woodstock Road to see if there's any sign of the killer going to the medical centre?'

'I'm going through it at the moment, Sir,' said Julie, 'Nothing so far. He seems to have made a deliberate attempt to avoid the cameras.'

'Not surprising,' said Robbie.

He ran his hands through his hair then said,

'All right. We could be barking up completely the wrong tree but for now, let's assume that it was the man that John and Tom Squires saw and that he had been sleeping rough so we can assume that he doesn't live in Oxford. Where would he be?'

'Somewhere along the river at night, Sir? Under one of the bridges perhaps?' suggested Hooper.

'Maybe though the regular rough sleepers aren't usually willing to share prime spots like that. I'll ask Inspector Winters to get the night shift to have a look though.'

'If he's got any money, there are a couple of cheap doss houses where he could stay no questions asked,' said Julie.

'Has he got any money though?' said Robbie dubiously.

'Actually, Sir, I think he might have now,' said James, reaching for the box containing the evidence taken from Doctor O'Donnell's office, 'I noticed that Doctor O'Donnell's purse was empty. SOCO found her credit cards under the desk but no money.'

'After he killed her he stole her money,' said Robbie, 'James, get hold of the daughter; see if she knows how much money her mother generally had on her.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'And then we need to see if he could afford anywhere; even cheap accommodation isn't cheap in Oxford.'

'Sir.'

'Anything else?'

Robbie looked around but was only greeted with head shakes so he went into his and James' office. James followed shortly afterwards.

Robbie put his phone away, saying,

'Peterson must be out on a call.'

'He did say that it wasn't urgent.'

'True. What next?'

'Coffee and a bun, Sir?'

'Not sure about the bun,' said Robbie ruefully, 'I seem to have put on a few pounds recently.'

'It's all that home cooking, Sir.'

'All the pubs meals more like.'

'You'll just have to find a way to do some more exercise, Sir. I'm sure Doctor Hobson could help you with that.'

James' innocent tone of voice was accompanied by a sly smirk and Robbie felt his lips quirk upwards. Suppressing his smile, he said,

'Cheeky sod.'

'Sir.'

They made their way downstairs. As they reached the entrance of the canteen, they met Mike Winters coming the other way. As soon as he saw Robbie, Mike said,

'Robbie, have you got a minute?'

'Of course. You go on, James.'

James carried on into the canteen and joined the queue, exchanging nods with the people he knew. A group of young PC's were having brunch together at a nearby table, casually chatting. There was a lull in their conversation then suddenly one of them said,

'I'll tell you one thing; if I had Innocent tied to a bed I'd give her a good hard fucking.'

Three seconds later, James had yanked him out of his seat and pinned him to the wall by his throat. The young PC tried to push James away then punched him in the ribs but James barely felt it through the rage running through him. He tightened his hold slightly and shouted,

'Shut up!'

Then they were being pulled apart. James came back to his senses with a feeling of sick shock and stood limply between the two people holding him. The young PC continued to struggle for a few seconds until the total silence in the room penetrated his anger.

Robbie Lewis and Mike Winters, summoned by a sergeant, looked at the scene in disbelief. James was notoriously non-violent, preferring to use his superior intellect to wither people with words. Mike beckoned one of the other uniformed officers and took him aside, urgently questioning him.

'What happened?' asked Robbie.

'No excuse, Sir,' said James rigidly.

'He just attacked me for no reason,' said the PC indignantly.

'Really? Evans, isn't it?' said Robbie sceptically, 'No reason?'

'Yes and then he yelled at me to shut up.'

'So what had you just said?' asked Robbie quietly.

'I'd just said…'

Too late, PC Evans realised that he should have kept quiet.

'Yes?' said Robbie, still quietly.

'Uh…it was just a bit of banter.'

'What did you say, Constable?' said Robbie firmly.

'Um, I said that if I had Chief Superintendent Innocent tied to a bed, I'd have sex with her.'

The young man squirmed as Robbie stared intently at him and behind him, Inspector Winters shook his head in disbelief. Robbie was the best interrogator he'd ever seen and the young idiot was trying to bullshit him.

'Your exact words, Constable?'

The voice was cold and realising there was no escape the PC reluctantly repeated his exact words. With a sense of shock, Robbie realised that James had seriously overreacted. Yes, the lad's remark was disrespectful, sexist and in spectacularly bad taste but not anywhere near bad enough to merit a violent reaction. Thinking rapidly, Robbie said to the PC,

'Thank you, Evans. As you were.'

The PC gratefully sat down and Robbie said,

'Sergeant, my office now! You and I are going to have a serious discussion.'

'Yes, Sir.'

James turned and left and Robbie walked over to Mike Winters and said,

'Shall we finish our discussion in your office, Mike?'

'Good idea.'

Mike and Robbie went into his office and shut the door. Robbie sighed and ran his hand over his head.

'What am I going to do, Mike? An unprovoked attack on another officer?'

'Not quite unprovoked, Robbie, that remark was pretty disrespectful. And witnesses saw Evans hit him. If it came to a disciplinary hearing they'd both be in equal trouble.'

'So we say it's tit for tat and each deal with our own idiots?' said Robbie hopefully.

'I'm happy with that, Robbie, the last thing I need is extra paperwork.'

'Thanks, Mike. I owe you one.'

'Don't worry, Robbie, I'll collect.'

The two men exchanged rueful smiles and Robbie left.

Robbie walked into his office and shut the door behind him. James immediately got out of his chair and stood to attention. Robbie walked slowly around him, then glared at him and said,

'Well?'

'I'm sorry, Sir,' said James remorsefully.

'What got into you, man?'

'I just saw red. I don't know why, Sir.'

'You saw red over an immature remark made by a wet-behind-the-ears constable who's too inadequate to cope with the idea of a female boss? That's not like you, James.'

'I think it was hearing him joking about tying the chief superintendent down after what happened on Friday. I know it was just macho nonsense but it flicked me on the raw and I lost my temper.'

'That's not the standard of behaviour I expect from you, James.'

'No, Sir.'

Robbie looked at James. To a stranger, he would have looked impassive but Robbie could tell that he was deeply upset. He also looked absolutely terrible, exhausted and incredibly pale.

'The good news is that several people saw him hit you so I was able to persuade Inspector Winters to keep it unofficial. I now owe him a big favour which I'm going to take out of your hide in hard work.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'Are you hurt?'

'No, Sir.'

'Good. Now, get your jacket, we're going out for coffee and you're buying.'

'Yes, Sir.'

They got coffee and cakes from the coffee shop by the river and walked along the riverbank until they found a convenient bench. Robbie waited until James had eaten his cake and was part way through his cigarette before saying,

'Do you want to talk about it?'

'I just feel so angry. I want to find the man who attacked the chief superintendent and tear him limb from limb.'

'It's not like you to let your emotions get the better of you, James,' said Robbie, concerned, 'I mean we're all angry about it but we have to push it aside, not think about revenge.'

'I don't seem to be able to, Sir.'

'But aren't you supposed to leave all that to God. You know, 'Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord,' and so forth.'

'Yes, we are. Unfortunately I seem to be stuck on, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' at the moment, Sir.'

'Well you need to find a way to get unstuck; we're coppers, our job is to catch them not to punish them.'

'I know. It's just…hard.'

Robbie put his hand on James' shoulder and squeezed lightly, saying,

'It's never easy when it's one of our own. And don't think you're alone in wanting to give the bastard a good kicking, all of us do.'

'Yes, but you won't actually do it, will you?'

'Nor will you when it comes to it. I know you, James, it's not in your nature.'

'I wish I had your confidence, Sir. I'm feeling rather inclined to not turn the other cheek at the moment.'

'Well, keep it under control, James. You can't think clearly if you're letting anger take over.'

'I'll do my best, Sir.'

'Right. Well, we'd best head back.'

'Sir.'

They walked back towards the station in companionable silence.

Once inside the station, Robbie forced his mind back to the matter in hand, which was the need for James to be seen to be being punished. When they got to the detectives offices he led James over to Julie's desk and said,

'How are you getting on with the CCTV footage, Julie?'

'Slowly, Sir. I'm still trying to figure out where he came from.'

'Brief Sergeant Hathaway, he's taking over from you.'

'Yes, Sir.'

The lack of questions from Julie made it quite clear that she had heard what had happened in the canteen and Robbie made sure that his apparent displeasure with James was noticed by saying brusquely,

'Get on it with it, Sergeant. I expect to know his route to the medical centre by the end of the day.'

'Yes, Sir.'

James slipped into the chair that Julie had just vacated and listened intently as she explained what she had already done.

Robbie went into his office and closed the door before calling Laura, relieved when she answered immediately,

'Robbie, I haven't got anything more for you. I've been dealing with the victims of an RTA all morning.'

'I wasn't calling about work. Well, not directly. Have you got time to meet?'

'Why? What's up?'

'It's James…'

'Is he hurt?'

'No, it's nothing as straightforward as that.'

'Oh?'

'I could come to you.'

Laura easily picked up the subtext, Robbie didn't want to talk about it at the station.

'I need to type up these autopsy reports but if you came bearing coffee I could be persuaded to take a brief break.'

'Thanks, Laura.'

Twenty minutes later, they were in Laura's office with the door closed and Laura was sipping her coffee whilst Robbie told her what had happened. Once he'd finished, she said,

'You told me that he was finding this case difficult but I hadn't realised it was that bad. Has he been sleeping?'

'I don't think so. And knowing him, he's not eating either.'

'No wonder he overreacted.'

'Yes… so how do I stop him from overreacting again. He was lucky that Evans hit him otherwise I'd probably have had to suspend him. If he loses his temper again like that, I'll have no choice.'

'The sleep deprivation is probably the most critical factor.'

'So what do I do about that? I can't exactly go round to his flat and sing him a lullaby.'

'Tell him he's sleeping with us tonight.'

Robbie raised his eyebrows at her ambiguous statement and said,

'I'm not sure that's James' cup of tea.'

Laura blushed and laughed, saying,

'I'm not sure it's mine either. I prefer my men one at a time. And one particular man at that.'

'Thank God for that. James is me best mate but I don't think I could get me head round that.'

'No. And I think James would have a heart attack if you suggested it. No, what I meant was, get him to come and have dinner with us and sleep in the spare room and I'll give him something to help him sleep.'

'Good idea. Thanks, Pet.'

Laura finished her coffee and threw her cup in the bin then said,

'I have to get on.'

'Me too.'

Robbie gave Laura a peck on the lips and left.


	18. Chapter 18

Laura walked up to Jean's bed and put the camera down on the bedside cabinet and the bag of clothes and toiletries on the bed, smiling as she realised that instead of flowers, Jean's Get Well cards were accompanied by cans of pepper spray (six so far), and said,

'No Chris?'

'No, he's back at work. He offered to use some of his annual leave but what's the point while I'm in hospital?'

'True. So how are you today?'

'Extremely sore and very dirty. I can't wait to be clean again.'

'Have you checked that you're allowed to get your head injuries wet?'

'Yes, the doctor said it's fine as long as I don't rub at all.'

'Good. Let's get you sorted then.'

Laura helped Jean shower and wash her hair then pulled the curtains around her bed and helped her to lie down, saying,

'Time to smile for the birdie.'

'Great,' said Jean tartly, 'My body on camera.'

'I'll keep the memory card locked in my desk until the case file has to go to the CPS.'

'Thank you,' said Jean, touched, 'But won't you have to include it in your report?'

'What report? I do dead people, remember? Mark Smith is the one who should be here but he's too much of a wimp to even think about coming and asking to take the necessary pictures so no one's going to give me any grief.'

'Yes, it should be Smith, shouldn't it? Is he really that scared of me?'

'No, he's just embarrassed; taking naked pictures of the boss isn't for everyone. Talking of which...back in a sec.'

Laura went to the entrance of the side ward and said to the uniformed officers on duty,

'No one comes in except medical staff.'

'Yes, Doctor.'

Laura shut the door and came back to the bedside, saying,

'I thought you'd rather not have some zealous officer come in to update you just at the moment.'

'No, I'm not exactly suitably attired for it.'

Laura smiled at Jean before reaching for the camera and turning it on. Summoning all her professional detachment, Laura focussed the camera on the bruises on Jean's back and said,

'Ready?'

'Yes.'

Laura took a series of photos of Jean's back, arms and legs then quietly said,

'I need to do your front.'

Jean turned over, wincing as she settled on her back and Laura frowned, saying,

'What painkillers are you on?'

'Ibuprofen.'

'Is that all?'

'They were giving me codeine too but my head's so much better today that I told them I didn't need it.'

'Jean, you don't have to be stoic about this.'

'It's not that, I just hate taking codeine; it makes me feel as though someone's put a fluffy blanket over my brain. I hate not being able to think straight.'

'And you hate the feeling of being out of control.'

'I'm a senior police officer, of course I hate feeling out of control. It's practically a prerequisite for the job.'

Laura chuckled,

'At least you're honest about it.'

'Of course I'll deny it if you tell Robbie.'

'I suspect he already knows.'

'He is a detective after all.'

Laura smiled at Jean's sarcastic tone of voice but returned to the matter at hand, saying,

'When I've finished taking pictures, I'll get the nurse to give you some paracetemol and I'll give your doctor a ring about prescribing you something more powerful.'

'Thanks.'

Laura clicked away, making sure to take plenty of pictures so that the jury would be in no doubt about the viciousness of the attack on Jean. Casting about for another topic of conversation, she said,

'How's Chris?'

'He's a bit upset but he'll be okay. How's Robbie?'

'He's fine.'

Laura blushed slightly as she thought about their gentle lovemaking the night before. Having admitted their feelings to each other, they had spent a long time kissing and caressing each other and thinking about Robbie's tenderness made Laura feel very happy.

'Good night, was it?' said Jean astutely.

Laura's blushed deepened as she said,

'Yes.'

'And?'

'Jean, I am not going to tell you the details of Robbie and my love life.'

'Fine,' huffed Jean, disappointed.

'Why don't we talk about your love life instead?'

'What love life? It's so long since I've felt someone else's hands on my body I've forgotten what it feels like.'

'Exactly. So as soon as you're better, I'm setting you up with someone.'

'Who?'

'Not sure yet. You were a bit vague about your preferences the other day.'

'What do you want to know?'

'You said you wanted someone a few years older than Chris; how much older? Is thirty old enough? Or thirty-five?'

'Let's say thirty-five for now. I can always change my mind, after all.'

'Over thirty-five. That's fine. Upper age limit?'

'I don't know...sixty-five?'

'Seems reasonable. Hair colouring?'

'I don't mind what colour hair they have but I can't stand long hair on men or comb-overs.'

'Comb-overs are revolting,' agreed Laura, 'When you say long hair, how long are we talking?'

'If it's longer than mine then it's too long.'

'Okay. What about height? Finding someone taller than you won't be a problem but do you have an upper height limit?'

'I suppose I don't want to get a crick in my neck if I'm talking to them. Six foot six?'

'I'm not sure I know anyone taller than that anyway. Any other physical characteristics that turn you off?'

'I'm not wild about massive amounts of body hair; if they look like their first cousin could be a bear then I'm out.'

Laura chuckled, saying,

'Noted. No bears. Anything else?'

'No.'

'How about personality?'

'No idea really. Not arrogant. Reasonable sense of humour. It would probably help if they didn't mind being bossed around, I suppose.'

'When you say, 'didn't mind being bossed around'...?'

Jean blushed as she realised what Laura was asking,

'What? No! Really, Laura! Of course not.'

'I thought not but if you had meant that then I would've known just the person.'

'Oh, I see.'

Laura carefully watched Jean's face, noting the complete lack of interest. So, Jean definitely didn't want a submissive then. Laura knew several men who would be very disappointed about that.

'It shouldn't be a problem. I can think of half a dozen men off the top of my head,' said Laura, 'Let me know when you feel well enough and I'll make some calls.'

'Thanks, Laura. Remind me to buy you lunch sometime.'

'Will do.'

Laura put the camera down then helped Jean into her nightie, saying,

'Done. I'll talk to the nurse about getting you some paracetemol and then I'll have to go, I'm afraid. I'm sorry I can't spend longer with you.'

Jean gasped as Laura's last sentence triggered the memory of a man leaning over her, saying exactly the same words. She struggled for breath as the memories came rushing back. Laura hit the call button as Jean doubled over, hyperventilating and shaking. Putting her arm around Jean, she said,

'What is it? Are you in pain?'

The slight pain from Laura's arm on her shoulders brought Jean back to the present and she took a shuddering breath, saying,

'I've remembered what happened. I need to talk to Robbie.'


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's note: As you probably gathered from the end of chapter 18, this chapter contains a detailed description of the attack on Jean.**

Robbie was in his office combing through reports, looking for anything to help them find the killer when Jean rang to say that she had remembered what had happened and wanted to give her preliminary statement. His first instinct was to take James with him but then he remembered James' anger and he hesitated. He also realised that if it were anyone else who had been attacked in this way, he would automatically take a female officer with him in case they didn't want to talk to a man about it. Jean certainly deserved the same consideration. Going into the other office, he said,

'Julie, you're with me.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'Chief Superintendent Innocent has remembered what happened.'

James opened his mouth to speak but Robbie continued,

'Julie, the chief super may prefer to speak to you alone so I'll run through the questions I need asked in the car.'

James subsided and Julie said,

'Yes, Sir.'

Julie and Robbie left and James went back to the CCTV footage.

When they got to the hospital, Jean was sat in bed, sipping a glass of water. She was very pale and her hands were shaking on the glass. Concerned, Robbie said,

'Are you sure you're well enough to do this?'

'I'm fine, Robbie. It was just a bit of a shock, getting all the memories back at once.'

'They came back all in a bang, Ma'am?'

'Yes, something Laura said triggered it.'

'Funny the way these things happen. We'll keep it brief today, Ma'am, plenty of time to do a full statement another day.'

'Stop fussing, Robbie.'

'Ma'am. Do you mind telling me what happened? Or would you rather give your statement to Julie?'

Jean smiled wanly at his consideration and said,

'I'm all right with you, Robbie, though I'd prefer to have the door closed, please, Julie.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' said Julie, getting up and shutting the door.

'Why don't you tell me what you remember and I'll ask questions afterwards?' said Robbie.

'I'd finished dinner and washed up. I made a mug of tea and took it into the lounge to drink whilst I was looking through some personnel files. I'd been sat down for about five minutes when I heard a sound behind me. As I looked up, I felt a sharp pain to the side of my head and I lost consciousness. When I came round, I was tied to my bed face down, gagged, and a man was cutting my clothes off. He said that Gerald Stockton had sent him to kill me. He apologised for not being able to follow Stockton's technique exactly and told me that he was sorry that he couldn't spend more time with me but he going to have to kill me by the end of the weekend because he didn't have a house in Oxford. He finished cutting my clothes off and then picked up a belt and started hitting me with it. When he had finished my back of my torso and the back of my legs and arms he sat on my back and tied my arms and legs together so he could turn me over. Once he'd turned me over he tied my arms and legs to the corners of the bed again. Luckily, he was very aroused so he didn't notice that I'd spread my hands wide when he re-tied them. I waited until he'd moved from my arms to my body and then I worked my hands free. He was too far away from me for me to hit him at that point so I had to wait. After he'd finished using the belt on the front of my body, he climbed on the bed and pushed his jeans and pants down and knelt between my legs to rape me. I hit his nose as hard as I could and pushed him off the bed. I couldn't get the knot on my left ankle undone at first so by the time I was free he was getting to his feet again. I ran downstairs but he was catching up so I picked up a paperweight and threw it through the window and started screaming. We were fighting at the bottom of the stairs when I heard Ned Jenkins telling him to let me go. The last thing I remember is trying to deflect a hammer blow.'

'He had the lights on?' asked Robbie, 'So you had a good look at him?'

'Yes. He was IC1, about five foot eleven, medium build, mid-brown hair, blue eyes, wearing dark blue jeans, a black T-shirt and a dark blue hoodie.'

'Age?'

'Late twenties, early thirties probably although he had one of those faces that are hard to be sure about.'

'Any distinguishing features?'

Jean thought for a minute, then said,

'No, nothing.'

'He said he didn't have a house in Oxford, could you tell where he was from?'

'No, he didn't have any particular accent that I remember but he only spoke a couple of sentences to me.'

'How about his smell? Was he wearing any after shave? Distinctive deodorant?'

'He smelt sweaty and dirty, as if he hadn't washed for a few days and he hadn't shaved either. No sign of any deodorant or anything else.'

Robbie cast around in his mind for anything else to ask then said,

'I'll send Blake in to do a photofit, if that's all right?'

'Of course. How is the case going?'

'We're waiting for a break,' said Robbie honestly, 'I'm hoping that Doctor Blackheath will give us a name and that that combined with the photofit will lead us to him. Or that a sighting from a member of the public will pan out.'

'Keep me updated.'

'Yes, Ma'am. Do you need anything?'

'Some decent food would be nice.'

'I'll send some in,' said Robbie.

James looked up as Robbie came back into the office and said,

'How is Chief Superintendent Innocent, Sir?'

'She's got all her memories back and is complaining about the food,' said Robbie, aware of people listening, 'Remind me to get Blake to take a sandwich in.'

There was a general lightening of the mood and James said,

'Beef and horseradish, Sir, on brown bread.'

'What?'

'Chief Superintendent Innocent's preferred choice of sandwich, Sir.'

'You know, Sergeant, sometimes you worry me. Is there anything you don't notice and remember?'

'I try to make sure that there's not, Sir.'

Robbie shook his head, saying,

'Well get that brain of yours back on finding the killer on CCTV.'

'Yes, Sir.'

James looked at the map of Oxford displayed on the computer and thought.

Robbie went to find Sergeant Blake and sent him to visit the chief superintendent in hospital, giving him a fiver to buy the chief super a beef and horseradish sandwich.

Two hours later, James disappeared into the CCTV monitoring post and asked them to bring up the footage from Hythe Bridge St from the day that Doctor O'Donnell was killed. It took another hour but eventually James found a grubby figure wearing dark blue jeans and a blue hoodie, with the hood up, crossing the road and going down the steps towards the canal. Triumphantly, he went and fetched Robbie, saying,

'Found him, Sir.'

Robbie watched the figure and said,

'He fits the description but why there?'

'He walked along the canal to avoid the cameras, Sir, then cut up through the back streets. I've checked and he's the only man matching the chief superintendent's description that I can find going in the right direction.'

'All right,' nodded Robbie, 'Can we backtrack and get a better picture?'

The officers checked surrounding cameras and eventually found a clearer shot outside the county council offices.

'Can you zoom in?' asked Robbie.

The zoomed in picture was a bit grainy but they could clearly see the man's broken nose even though he had his hoodie pulled well down.

'The Chief Superintendent's got a good aim,' said James respectfully.

'Something to remember,' agreed Robbie dryly, 'Can you clean that up?'

'We should be able to make it a bit sharper,' said one of the officers.

'Do it, then send it to Chief Superintendent Innocent and if she says that's her attacker, get it to everyone. I want anyone with even the slightest connection with law enforcement to be looking at his picture as soon as possible.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'Good work everyone.'

There was a chorus of 'Thank you, Sir,' from everyone then Robbie said,

'With me, Sergeant.'

'Sir,' said James, following Robbie back to their office.

Robbie waited until they were alone before saying,

'Good work, James.'

James blushed and ducked his head at the unexpected extra praise,

'Thank you, Sir.'

'Perhaps now we can catch the bastard.'

'I hope so, Sir.'

'Go and get us both one of those fancy coffees from the place down the road. Two sugars in mine.'

'Yes, Sir.'

James carefully concealed his smile as he went to do as he was told. He was officially still in the doghouse but Robbie had just given him an opportunity to have a crafty cigarette.

They had just finished their coffee when Doctor Blackheath rang,

'Inspector Lewis?'

'Yes?'

'Doctor Blackheath here. I think I've found your man.'

'We're on our way.'

'I'll meet you at the Porter's Lodge.'

Doctor Blackheath led them to his rooms at a walk that was almost a jog. Once there, he shut the door and said,

'Please sit down.'

James and Robbie sat down and Doctor Blackheath unlocked his desk drawer and removed a pile of letters. Walking over to Robbie, he said,

'Gerald Stockton has been corresponding with a young man called Stuart Collins for just over two years. Collins idolises him and makes it clear that he wishes to emulate Stockton. Stockton's replies are superficially discouraging but in fact he's revelling in Collins' adoration and is subtly encouraging him. In his last letter Stockton tells Collins how much he regrets not killing his last victim, Lucy Smith, and how he wishes he could get revenge on the female police officer who arrested him. It's all couched in apparently negative terms but he's actually giving Collins instructions. The phrasing is quite subtle but someone should have picked it up.'

'Is Collins' address given, Sir?' asked Robbie.

'Yes, here...'

Doctor Blackheath passed the letters to Robbie; the first one had Stuart Collins address at the top of it.

'That's just outside Bristol,' said Robbie, 'We'll get Bristol CID to check but I don't think they'll find him at home.'

'I would be very surprised if he were, Inspector,' said Doctor Blackheath, 'I'd also be surprised if Lucy Smith were alive.'

'Yes, he would have gone there first. Where does she live?'

'Lucy Smith was living in Reading at the time of the attack, Sir,' said James.

'As soon as we get back to the nick, you need to find her and find out whether or not she's still alive. If she is alive, she needs police protection immediately.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'I'll go through the rest of the letters, Inspector, just to be certain that I haven't missed anything.'

'Thank you, Sir,' said Robbie.

Robbie and James said goodbye to Doctor Blackheath and returned to the station.

A quick call to Bristol CID obtained a promise of a visit to Stuart Collins' flat that evening. Robbie put his phone away and sat looking at the murder board as he waited for James to finish. After about half an hour, James put his phone away and said,

'Doctor Blackheath was right, Lucy Smith is dead.'

'Murdered?'

'No, cause of death was pneumonia. Apparently she left it too long to get help and collapsed. She lived alone and by the time the alarm was raised it was too late to save her. That was in 2011, Sir.'

'So Collins wasn't able to harm her. I suppose that's a blessing in disguise.'

'Yes, she suffered enough at Stockton's hands.'

'So he came to Oxford to find Chief Superintendent Innocent.'

'And since she's the only female senior police officer in Oxfordshire she wasn't hard to find.'

'And when he failed to kill her he became obsessed with her appearance so attacked Doctor O'Donnell because of the resemblance?'

'As good a theory as any, Sir.'

'It's good enough for now; we can ask him when we catch him.'

'Sir.'

Robbie looked at his watch and said,

'That's enough for today. Let's grab your overnight bag and head over to Laura's.'

'Sir?'

'Did I forget to tell you? I'm under orders to bring you over for food and to spend the night in Laura's spare room.'

'Any particular reason?'

'I may have mentioned that you haven't been sleeping well.'

'I don't suppose Laura's planning to ply me with copious amounts of alcohol until I pass out?'

'I believe she has a more scientific approach planned.'

James groaned and said,

'I take it you're going to insist, Sir?'

'Yes. You need sleep, James. You're on the ragged edge, man.'

James looked at his boss' concerned face and ducked his head to hide the emotion that he was feeling. Even though Robbie had been his friend for years now, James still found it hard to accept that he cared enough to look out for him. Pretending reluctance, he said,

'I suppose I shall have to give in to force majeure, Sir.'

'Not so much force majeure as force Geordie, Sergeant.'

'Now I know I need sleep, I actually found that funny.'

Robbie pretended to glower but the glimmer in his eyes gave him away,

'Right, Sergeant, get your stuff.'

They gathered their belongings and left.

Dinner at Laura's was relaxed and James found himself nodding off over his food. Laura shooed him upstairs as soon as he'd finished eating, saying,

'I'll be up in ten minutes.'

'Ten minutes?' queried Robbie.

'I'm a doctor, Robbie, it doesn't matter if he's still getting ready.'

After one horrified glance, James shot upstairs and they heard him changing before going into the bathroom and locking the door firmly behind him. Laura waited until he'd finished then took a bottle out of her medical bag and went upstairs. Knocking and going in, she said,

'How are you feeling, James?'

'Exhausted,' admitted James reluctantly.

Laura took two tablets out of the bottle and handed them to him, saying,

'These are prescription sleeping tablets, they'll make you sleep for about ten hours.'

James obediently swallowed the tablets and Laura said,

'I'll check on you a couple of times in the night so don't panic if you hear me coming in.'

'I'd just assume I was dreaming.'

'Oh?' said Laura teasingly.

James blushed and said,

'Not that sort of dream.'

'You're no good for a girl's ego at all.'

'I thought boosting your ego was Robbie's job now?'

'True but flattery is always welcome.'

'Your beauty doth outshine the Sun,' said James in a completely unconvincing tone of voice.

Laura laughed and said,

'Goodnight, James.'

'Goodnight, Laura. Thank you.'

'Any time.'

Laura left and James sank into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

They were eating breakfast when Robbie's phone rang,

'Lewis.'

'There's been an attack and attending think it's the same man who attacked Chief Superintendent Innocent and Doctor O'Donnell, Sir.'

'How bad?'

'The woman got away with minor injuries, Sir.'

'Good. Where?'

Robbie wrote the address down then said,

'Sergeant Hathaway's already here, no need to call him.'

'Sir.'

Robbie hung up then filled James and Laura in. He and James quickly finished getting ready then headed to the scene.

The scene of the attack turned out to be a house in one of the better areas in Oxford. SOCO were already in attendance and uniformed officers were keeping the public at bay. Robbie went over to one of the officers and said,

'What happened?'

'Victim is a Ms Dyer, Sir. She arrived home from a trip abroad at approximately six-thirty this morning to find that a window at the back had been forced. She went straight back to the front door to go to a neighbour's to call it in. The attacker ran downstairs as she was opening the door but she managed to get outside and started screaming for help. He hit her a couple of times with a mallet but then two of the neighbours came to help her and he did a runner. One of the neighbours pursued him but lost him down by the river. We've got units looking for him, Sir.'

'And the reason for assuming it's our man? Aside from the mallet.'

'The set up in the bedroom, Sir. It's the same as in the chief super's house. Also, well, Ms Dyer, Sir, she's mid-forties, about five foot six, dark hair, slim build.'

'Quite similar to Chief Superintendent Innocent in other words.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'Is Ms Dyer badly hurt?'

'I don't think so, Sir, though the paramedics want to get her to hospital just to be on the safe side.'

'Right.'

Robbie nodded to the officer then said to James,

'Go and see if Ms Dyer feels well enough to talk to you.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'I'll be in the house.'

James climbed into the ambulance, saying,

'Detective Sergeant Hathaway, Oxfordshire Police. I wondered if you felt well enough to talk about what happened.'

'Felicity Dyer,' said the woman, holding out her hand for him to shake, 'Yes, what do you want to know?'

'Can you run through what happened? You've been abroad?'

'Yes, I work for Christian Dior so I spend a lot of time in Europe. My flight back was delayed so I landed at Heathrow at about two which meant that it was gone six by the time I got home. I opened the door and the house smelt wrong...'

'Smelt wrong?'

'I have an exceptional sense of smell, Sergeant, hence my job with Christian Dior. For example, I can tell that you didn't use your normal brand of soap today, there's a faint clash between that and your normal brand. You're a smoker but fastidious about it, you only smoke outdoors and you have your suits dry cleaned regularly. Should I go on?'

'So the house smelt strange? In what way?'

'There was a faint smell of dirt and sweat and it also smelt as if the washing machine had been on recently, which was odd as I've been away for a week. I went into the kitchen to see if it was a blocked drain and saw the open window. The frame was broken so I realised that someone had broken in so I went back to the front door to go to one of the neighbours' to call the police. As I was opening the door I heard footsteps running down the stairs so I yanked the door open and ran outside, screaming as loudly as I could. He caught up with me and tried to hit me on the head with a mallet but I ducked and it hit my shoulder. He tried again but I blocked it with my arm and then Terry and Quentin were coming towards us, yelling at him to leave me alone. He ran off. Quentin ran after him and Terry stayed with me.'

'Did you get a good look at the man who attacked you?'

'Yes,' said Felicity hesitantly, 'but I'm not very good at remembering visual things. I rely on my sense of smell.'

'Don't worry, Ms Dyer. Anything you can tell us would be helpful. How tall was he?'

'A few inches taller than I am.'

'When you say a few inches?'

'I'm not sure...at least three inches but probably less than eight inches taller than me.'

'And you are?'

'Five foot six.'

'And was he white, black or Asian in appearance?'

'White and he had brown hair.'

'Can you remember what colour eyes he had?'

'No, sorry.'

'What was he wearing?'

'Blue jeans and a dark hoodie. And they all smelled of my washing powder and he'd used my shower gel and shampoo too.'

'And is there anything else you remember about him, Ms Dyer? Any distinguishing features?'

'His face looked odd...'

'Yes?' said James, forcing himself not to prompt her.

'That's right, he looked as though he'd been in a fight, he was bruised and his nose looked wonky.'

'Thank you, that's very helpful. When you feel better, would you be willing to come into the station to work with a sketch artist?'

'Of course.'

'Thank you, Ms Dyer. An officer will accompany you to the hospital.'

'Is that really necessary?'

'Probably not but I'd rather err on the side of caution.'

'Okay,' said Felicity, puzzled.

James didn't enlighten her, instead beckoning to WPC Sutton and saying,

'Stay with Ms Dyer for now.'

'Yes, Sarge.'

Robbie donned a crime scene suit then went into the house. A SOCO was busy fingerprinting the window in the kitchen. Robbie looked at the frame, which had been broken in several places, and said,

'Not a professional job.'

'No, Sir,' agreed the SOCO.

Robbie checked the rest of the rooms downstairs, finding nothing amiss, then went upstairs. Looking through the door of the main bedroom, he felt an overwhelming sense of déja vu; although the furniture was different the attacker had organised things in exactly the same way as at Jean Innocent's house. Robbie only looked for long enough to be sure that the rope used seemed to be the same as at Jean's house and that there was a belt on the bedside cabinet. Feeling certain that the officers who had phoned it in were correct, Robbie left forensics to do their job.

He met James outside and listened intently as James explained what had happened,

'Saved by her sense of smell, she's a lucky woman.'

'Yes, Sir. I sent WPC Sutton to the hospital with her but I wasn't sure if we wanted to make a formal offer of police protection.'

Robbie rubbed his head, frowning,

'If we don't and he comes back we look uncaring and incompetent and if we do and he doesn't, we'll be accused of wasting the taxpayers money.' 'This is why we have chief superintendents, Sir, to make the political decisions.'

'I knew there had to be some reason for ranks above chief inspector to exist.'

James smirked then said,

'I know she's not officially allowed to tell us what to do at the moment but, well, we should keep the chief superintendent updated, shouldn't we, Sir?

'Indeed we should, Sergeant. We need to inform Ms Dyer that she won't be able to go home for a few hours anyway.'

'And that the press will be keen to interview her too.'

Robbie grimaced, saying,

'I hope she's got somewhere to go.'

They left uniformed officers taking statements from the neighbours and went to the hospital.

When they got there, they found Jean Innocent sitting in bed, reading the Oxford Post. As they entered, she glared at them and said,

'Shut the door.'

James shut the door and they stood by the bed, waiting to find out what they'd done wrong. Jean continued to glare at them as she said,

'When were you going to tell me that Rose O'Donnell and I could have passed for twins?'

'I was hoping to leave it until after we'd caught him, Ma'am,' said Robbie honestly.

'Why? Because you thought I wasn't strong enough to cope with it?'

'No, Ma'am. Because I was worried that you would blame yourself.'

'I got past that when I was on the beat, Robbie. As a police officer you can only do so much and you are not responsible for other people's actions, only your own. And I'm certainly not going to blame myself for the actions of a deranged psychopath.'

'Sorry, Ma'am. I take it the family have released her name and the press have found pictures and have put two and two together then, Ma'am?'

'Yes and are indulging in scare mongering and hysteria. At least it's only the local press so far.'

'It might not be for much longer,' said James, 'There's been another attack, that's why we're here.'

Jean flinched and said,

'Killed?'

'No, Ma'am,' said James, 'She got away with a few bruises.'

'Thank goodness.'

They filled Jean in on the details and explained their quandary.

'I'm not asking you to take responsibility for the decision, Ma'am,' said Robbie, 'Just give me some advice. You know I struggle with the political stuff, Ma'am.'

'I thought your usual strategy was to ignore the political aspects of a case and let me clean up the mess afterwards?' said Jean bluntly.

James ducked his head to hide a smile and Robbie said ruefully,

'When I'm in hot pursuit of a murderer, yes, Ma'am, but this is different.'

'I assume Ms Dyer looks similar to me?'

'Yes, Ma'am. The resemblance is not as close as Doctor O'Donnell but if I was issuing a description of you both, it would be the same.'

'I think we have to assume that Ms Dyer is in imminent danger. I would definitely offer her police protection, if it were my decision.'

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

'I'm coming out of hospital tomorrow. In the light of the latest attack, I think we need to discuss that.'

'I'll increase the number of officers protecting you, Ma'am, until we catch him.'

'No, I want the protection removed.'

'Ma'am?' said Robbie.

James frowned unhappily and said,

'Why?'

'So that he'll come after me again.'

'What? You're not serious? Out of the question!' said James furiously.

'I beg your pardon, Sergeant?' said Jean icily.

'He nearly killed you last time, he might succeed this time...Ma'am.'

The belated addition of 'Ma'am' did nothing to smooth Jean's frown as she said,

'Your concern is noted, Sergeant. Just one question, what makes you think that I'm an idiot?'

The fury in Jean's voice made Robbie wince but he made no attempt to intervene, James had to dig himself out of this hole.

'I don't think you're an idiot, Ma'am.'

'Perhaps you think I'm a masochist then?'

'No, Ma'am.'

'Then shut up and listen.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

James' voice was coldly formal and his face was set but he subsided and listened as Jean said,

'He seems to be attacking other women because he can't get to me. Would you agree, Robbie?'

'Probably,' agreed Robbie warily.

'So we need him to think that he can safely attack me. We get rid of the uniformed officers protecting me and let him think that I'm home alone. In reality, we smuggle in some people to protect me and catch him.'

'A trap,' said James blankly.

'Yes, of course a trap. What is wrong with you today, James? You didn't seriously think I was going to try to arrest a psychopath on my own? When I've got a station full of officers to call on?'

'Sorry, Ma'am, I don't seem to be very with it today.'

'Well try to keep up,' said Jean looking concerned.

'Yes, Ma'am.'

James lapsed into thought, frowning.

'What do you think, Robbie?'

'I'm not keen, Ma'am, but it could work.'

'Do you have any better ideas? I'm not that keen on it myself but we have to catch him before he kills again.'

'I agree. And no, I don't have any better ideas,' admitted Robbie glumly.

'So, we need to make sure that the killer finds out that I'm out of hospital.'

'I'll get someone to leak it to the press beforehand,' said Robbie, 'With any luck, you'll find journalists waiting for you when you leave the hospital.'

'In which case I need someone to bring one of my work outfits and my make-up in.'

'It might be better not to,' said James hesitantly.

'Go on,' said Jean.

'We want the killer to see you as a soft target, don't we? Casual clothes and no make-up will make you seem more vulnerable.'

Jean grimaced,

'I suppose I can burn as many copies of the paper as I can find afterwards.'

James' lips twitched despite his best efforts and Jean glared at him, saying,

'Yes, it's vanity, Sergeant, one of my failings. Did you have a comment to make?'

'No, Ma'am.'

'Good. So we need to find a way to get people in and out of my house without them being seen...'

'No,' said James.

'Excuse me?' said Jean.

'Sorry, Ma'am. What I should have said is that it can't be done and that your house is not a good venue for this operation anyway.'

'Because?'

'It's too isolated and the garden provides too much cover. Unless we saturate the area with officers we won't be able to be sure that we're unobserved when we move people in and out. And if we saturate the area with officers, he'll know what we're doing.'

'Couldn't we get round that?' asked Robbie.

'I don't see how, Sir. Also, have forensics officially released the house yet? I don't think they have. And I am sure that the professional cleaners haven't been in.'

'Okay, so not my house,' said Jean, 'Where then?'

'Well, we'd want to go round and look at it critically, but I think your flat could work, Sir.'

'Robbie's flat?' said Jean blankly.

'Yes. It's in a built up area with very few places outside for someone to conceal themselves. It's a two bedroom flat so it's a bit bigger than average which would be an advantage, Ma'am. Each flat has its own front door so there's no common entrance to worry about. And it's on a fairly busy road so people are coming and going all the time so our comings and goings shouldn't be as obvious.'

'Which floor?'

'Ground floor, which has pluses and minuses.'

'Standard layout? So the only way in or out is the front and back doors? asked Jean.

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'But I'd be kicking Robbie out.'

'Would she?' asked James, 'Or are you spending most of your time at Laura's, Sir?'

'I'm at Laura's a lot of the time now,' agreed Robbie, 'and I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I stayed a few days.'

'What about the people upstairs?' asked Jean.

'Archaeologists, away at a dig, Ma'am.'

'So we wouldn't be putting them at risk. Good,' said Jean.

'And the two flats don't connect so we wouldn't have to worry about him getting in that way either,' said James.

'So, would it work? What do you think, Robbie?' said Jean.

'It's got potential,' said Robbie thoughtfully.'

'All right,' said Jean, 'Look into it.'

'Yes, Ma'am,' said Robbie.

'Now you need to talk to Ms Dyer before she leaves the hospital.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

James and Robbie left but they only got a few yards down the corridor before James stopped and looked back the way they came, saying hesitantly,

'Sir?'

Robbie looked somewhere between resigned and amused as he said,

'Go on.'

Robbie shook his head ruefully as he made his way down to A&E. Personally, he'd have given Jean Innocent time to forget what was said but James could be a bit of a masochist at times. Presumably being at the seminary had encouraged him to do penance immediately.

James quietly went back into Jean's side ward and shut the door. Jean looked up from her copy of the Oxford Post and said,

'Did you forget to ask me something, James?'

'No, Ma'am. I wanted to apologise. What I said was disrespectful and stupid. I'm sorry.'

Jean's eyes softened and she said,

'You're forgiven. This time.'

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

James smiled slightly then continued,

'Do you want anything? Food? Something else to read?'

'Both of those would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, James.'

'Beef and horseradish sandwich, Ma'am? Or would you prefer something hot?'

'Some yoghurt, please, and some fruit.'

'And to read?'

'A couple of newspapers, the Times and the Guardian if possible, and perhaps a magazine.'

'Any particular magazine?'

'Surprise me.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Thank you.'

James nodded and left.


	21. Chapter 21

Robbie found Felicity Dyer in the waiting room in A&E, sipping a cup of tea and looking wan. WPC Sutton was sitting next to her, flipping through a magazine. As soon as Robbie came into the waiting room, WPC Sutton looked up and then stood respectfully, saying,

'Sir.'

'Any problems?'

'No, Sir. The triage nurse has seen Ms Dyer, we're waiting for the doctor now.'

'Good.'

Robbie turned to Ms Dyer and said,

'Inspector Lewis, Ms Dyer, could I have a word?'

'Yes, Inspector. Do you want me to come somewhere private?'

Robbie looked round the waiting room. At ten in the morning it was quiet, with only half a dozen people waiting to be seen and Felicity Dyer was sat in a corner away from anyone else.

'No need to move, you might miss your turn. If you don't mind discussing it here, Ms Dyer?'

'No, that's okay.'

'I gather you've been away?'

'Yes.'

'So I don't suppose you've seen the local press then.'

'No.'

'The thing is, you're the third woman to be attacked by the same man since Friday, we think, and there's a chance he might try again. So, we wondered if you'd like police protection for a few days.'

'Police protection?...What did he do to the other women?'

'Chief Superintendent Innocent is expected to make a full recovery from her injuries but he killed Doctor O'Donnell,' said Robbie, deliberately avoiding answering the question properly.

'And you think he was going to kill me?'

'Yes.'

'Yes, I want police protection. I'm going to Paris on Friday, he won't follow me there, will he?'

'No, he won't be able to get out of the country,' said Robbie, making a mental note to check that the Border Agency had been sent his photo.

'Good.'

'I'll make the arrangements for your protection now, Ms Dyer. Have you got somewhere to go for a few hours? You won't be able to go back to your house for a while.'

'Yes, I can call a friend.'

'Good. WPC Sutton will stay with you until the protection detail arrives.'

'Thank you.'

'And you'll probably find the press will want to interview you. If you could avoid giving any details, we'd appreciate it.'

'I think I'd like to avoid giving any interviews full stop.'

'You might want to avoid going home in that case, Ms Dyer.'

'Well, Sue's been nagging me to come and stay for months. I guess it's a good time to give in.'

'Where does she live?'

'Headington.'

'Sounds ideal.'

As Robbie was hanging up the phone after arranging for Ms Dyer's protection detail, he saw James coming towards him. James looked more relaxed so Robbie said,

'So what's your punishment?'

'Providing some food and reading material, Sir.'

'You got off lightly.'

'The advantage of an early apology, Sir. The Chief Superintendent has an excellent memory so waiting to apologise merely gives her time to think up more exotic punishments.'

'I'll bear that in mind,' said Robbie dryly, thinking that the fact that James was one of Jean's favourite officers probably helped.

They reached the car park and got into the car. James turned on the engine then said,

'Where to, Sir?'

'My place. Let's see how suitable it is for setting a trap.'

Robbie stood in his lounge and said,

'The only problem I can see is making him think he can attack. This place is quite hard to break into.'

'Not as hard as the chief super's house, Sir. He's obviously prepared to wait for an opportunity and then seize it.'

'And how do we let him know where the chief superintendent is?'

'I think we let slip who she's with and wait for him to find your address. If we're lucky we might even be able to pick him up before he breaks in.'

'We haven't had much luck on this case so I think we should prepare for the worst. What happens when he breaks in?'

'We have officers in the lounge at all times, Sir. At night we have someone sleeping in the other bedroom as well, I was going to suggest that that should be me, Sir. Also, I think we should take Gurdip shopping.'

'Do you indeed?'

'It is a long time since we've bought him any presents, Sir,' said James facetiously.

'Just don't spoil him, Sergeant. I don't want him expecting new toys every time we have a new case.'

'No, Sir.'

Robbie smiled then said,

'You're thinking of something to supplement our phones, I take it?'

'Yes, in case there's not time to use a phone. I'm sure Gurdip can think of something, a high-tech panic button is the obvious option.'

'All right. Let's look around the outside.'

After checking for hidden access points, Robbie was deep in thought. James looked at his frown and said,

'Problem, Sir?'

'No, just thinking that we need to bring Peterson in on this.'

'Action Man? Why, Sir?'

'Because he is Action Man. His team are far more used to stake outs and fighting with armed suspects than we are.'

'You're not turning it over to him?' asked James, horrified.

'No, lad, it's our case. I was thinking of a joint operation.'

'Why not just use our people, Sir? Grey has a black belt in four different martial arts and Hooper's good in a fight too.'

'True but we have to have people at the station too in case anything crops up, we can't assume that the villains of Oxford are going to behave just because we'd like them to. If we split it with Peterson's team we can carry on compiling evidence and we can take it in turns to protect the chief superintendent.'

'I'm happy to be here permanently, Sir.'

Robbie looked thoughtfully at James' expressionless face and said,

'You do know that the chief super will make your life a living hell if you mistreat a prisoner in her presence, don't you?'

'Yes, Sir. I...I just need to be there when he's caught, Sir.'

'Well, it's your lookout,' said Robbie wryly.

'Thank you, Sir.'

'Right, back to the nick to get things set up.'

'Actually, Sir, would it be all right if I joined you later, I need to get that stuff for the chief superintendent.'

'Make sure you get all her favourites, Sergeant,' said Robbie, smirking.

'I will, Sir,' said James, mock seriously.

They separated, Robbie to find Alan Peterson and James to try to solve the conundrum of which magazine to buy for Jean Innocent.

Robbie called Alan Peterson as soon as he got to the station and asked him to come to his office. When Peterson arrived, Robbie shut the door and explained the situation.

'The chief superintendent wants to set herself up as bait? God!' said Peterson.

'If you have a better suggestion, I'd be delighted,' said Robbie.

Peterson started to pace, throwing occasional questions at Robbie. After ten minutes, Peterson reluctantly said,

'No, tactically, it's the best option. What do you need from me?'

'I don't have enough people to run the operation and staff the station as well. Are you in the middle of something or can we make it a joint operation?'

'I've got some surveillance going on but only on some minor dealers. Catching your killer is more important.'

'Thanks, Alan,' said Robbie, with genuine gratitude. He might find Peterson intensely annoying but he was a good copper (even if not one of the world's greatest thinkers).

They settled down to discuss the details.

When James got back to the hospital, he found Laura Hobson already with Jean Innocent. As he went in, Laura stood, saying,

'Hello, James. Do you need me to leave?'

'No, Laura. I just came to drop some stuff off, I can't stay.'

James nervously handed the carrier bag he was carrying to Jean, saying,

'I think that's everything you wanted, Ma'am.'

He was very glad that Laura was there as it gave him an excuse to leave immediately. He'd taken a chance when choosing a magazine for the chief superintendent, going for something that he thought she'd genuinely enjoy rather than settling for something safe. Now, however, it seemed like a truly stupid idea. As Jean opened the bag, he said,

'I need to get back, Ma'am, if that's all right?'

'Yes, of course, James.'

James left, using his long legs to get away as quickly as possible.

Laura looked at James' retreating back curiously, saying,

'He was in a hurry.'

Jean didn't reply and when Laura turned back to her, Jean had a bemused expression on her face.

'What?' said Laura.

'I asked him to choose a magazine for me...'

Jean turned the magazine so that Laura could see the title and her eyes widened,

'And you didn't suggest this one?'

'No, I told him to surprise me.'

The magazine was mostly a fashion and celebrities magazine but it was notorious for always having an explicit and highly entertaining 'sex tips' section as well as a hysterically funny advice column.

'Well, guess who's finished growing up,' said Laura, amused.

'I suppose so,' said Jean, sounding completely nonplussed, 'He's not a boy any more, after all.'

'Jean, James hasn't been a boy for years, he's only ten years younger than I am.'

'You're right. It's just that he's so easily embarrassed, it's hard to imagine him buying this for me.'

'He was probably blushing like a tomato.'

Jean smiled then said,

'No wonder he disappeared at great speed...'

'Yes. So, are you going to call him to thank him?'

'No, I think I'd rather wait until we're face to face,' said Jean with a smirk.

Laura smiled back then said,

'What shall we read first, the sex tips or the advice column?'

'Sex tips. You can tell me if any of them are anatomically possible.'

Two minutes later the two women were laughing helplessly at a 'guaranteed way to drive him wild' that required both participants to be improbably limber and involved an unlikely use for ice cream.


	22. Chapter 22

When James got back to the station, Robbie was just finishing settling all the details with Peterson. They finished working out a provisional rota then Peterson got up to leave. He was part way out of the door when he stopped and turned back, saying,

'About Walter and Matthews...'

'Yes?' said Robbie.

'They got into a fight over Walter's girlfriend outside the White Hart on Friday evening. They were both very evasive about what had happened to start the fight and neither of them want to press charges.'

'Which is not surprising on Walter's part, with his record, but why didn't Matthews call the police on Friday night? And why isn't he demanding that Walter be jailed immediately?' said Robbie.

'Because he's at fault and he knows it, Sir?' suggested James.

'I can't think of any other reason,' agreed Robbie, 'What did Walter's girlfriend have to say?'

'Said it was just boys being boys, nothing to make a fuss about.'

'Scared Walter will end up back in prison?'

'That's what I thought,' said Peterson.

'So you had to let them both go?'

'Yes.'

'Did you tell Matthews that we'd found his chat room fantasies about the chief superintendent?' asked James.

'No, I thought it might be better to keep it in reserve.'

'Probably,' said Robbie thoughtfully, 'but have a word with Mike Winters, get him to let his lads and lasses know that there's something decidedly dodgy about Matthews. I think we need to keep an eye on him.'

'Will do.'

'Thanks for taking that off my hands, Alan.'

'No problem, Robbie.'

This time Peterson made it out of the office.

James waited until Peterson had gone then said,

'Are we on?'

'Yes. How was the chief super?'

'Laura was with her so I just dropped the stuff off and came straight back, Sir.'

'She'll need to be briefed but we'll do that later.'

'Yes, Sir. Do you want me to take care of making copies of keys and stocking up with food and so forth, Sir?'

'How long will you need?'

'A couple of hours should do it, Sir.'

'Best get extra tea and coffee and so on in too. We're bound to get through it.'

'Sir.'

'You can go after lunch. Unless anything crops up.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'In the meantime, you can get the boards updated.'

'Yes, Sir.'

James picked up a white board pen and started filling in the new information they had. After a few minutes he said,

'Have Bristol CID got back to us, Sir?'

'No...Hang on, let me check my messages.'

Robbie rummaged on his desk, squinting slightly at the message slips, then said,

'No answer at Collins' address last night, they were applying for a warrant, hoping to go in this morning.'

'Shall I call them, Sir?'

'Not yet. We'll give them till after lunch. Talking of which, pub?'

'Good idea, Sir.'

'And since you're still officially in the doghouse, you can pay.'

'Thank you, Sir,' said James sarcastically.

'It's my duty as your Inspector to see that discipline is enforced,' said Robbie blandly.

James shot Robbie an exasperated look but didn't reply, knowing that Robbie was right, it was too soon for him to be officially forgiven. That was why he'd been putting 'Sir' at the end of every sentence, after all.

They were just finishing their meals when Robbie's phone rang,

'Lewis.'

Robbie listened intently then said,

'Thanks...Yes, we'll keep you informed...Yeah, I appreciate it.'

After he'd hung up, he said,

'Eat up, we need to head back.'

'Bristol?'

'Yes and it looks like Doctor Blackheath was right.'

James and Robbie gulped the rest of their food down and hurried back to the station. As they walked, Robbie explained,

'Bristol CID executed the warrant an hour ago. No reply so they got the landlord to let them in. In the lounge, they found pictures of Jean Innocent and Lucy Smith pinned up on the walls along with information on their last known locations.'

'Disturbing.'

'Not half as disturbing as the bedroom apparently; walls and ceiling covered with pictures of battered and dead women.'

'Sick.'

'Very.'

They had reached the station and Robbie immediately summoned Gurdip, who said,

'I've narrowed it down to two, Sir.'

Robbie looked blankly at Gurdip before realising that he was talking about panic buttons. James stepped in saying,

'Which can you have up and running by tomorrow afternoon?'

'This one, Sir. I can buy the components on my way home this evening and put it in place tomorrow morning.'

'Good work.'

'Thank you, Sarge.'

'Before you start on that, I need you to do something else,' said Robbie.

'Sir?'

'We may have the name of the killer but we need to know if it's the right person. Can you find pictures of a person on the computer for comparison with a photofit.'

'Yes, Sir. Virtually everyone's records are computerised nowadays and what with Facebook and Twitter, there are hundreds of pictures of most people online.'

'Good. His name is Stuart Collins and he lives in Bristol, Hathaway will give you the address.'

'Do we know anything else about him?' asked Gurdip, dismayed, 'His age or date of birth?'

'Late twenties, early thirties is the best we've got, I'm afraid.'

'Actually, Sir,' said James, 'We may have a date of birth. He gave Doctor O'Donnell a date of birth before he attacked her. It may be false but he did try to delete the file.'

'And date of birth is one of those things that you say automatically,' agreed Robbie, 'All right, start with that.'

James flicked back in his notes until he found the right entry then said,

'Fifth of June, nineteen eighty-five.'

'Thanks, Sarge. I'll get started straight away, Sir.'

With all spare units scouring Oxford for the killer and no new information, Robbie gave James permission to go shopping for everything that was needed. Whilst he was out Laura came in, carrying folders of results,

'I now owe the guys at the DNA lab a bottle of very expensive whisky,' she said, opening the first file.

Robbie obediently looked at file, even though it was mostly gibberish to him, saying,

'Is he in the criminal database?'

'No but they have confirmed that it was the same man who attacked Jean that killed Rose O'Donnell.'

'Good.'

'And the fingerprint lab has also confirmed that the same person was present at both crime scenes. No hits on their database either.'

'No surprise there.'

'No. You know Jean's coming out tomorrow?'

'Yes. Talking of which, would it be all right if I stayed at yours for the next few nights?'

Laura looked at Robbie closely and said,

'You've got a plan that you can't tell me about, haven't you?.'

'Yes. Sorry, Pet.'

'Hmm, still not keen on you calling me 'Pet' when we're at work, Robbie.'

'Sorry, Laura. It's me Newcastle roots showing through. I'll try and keep it out of the office.'

'Thanks. It's not that I mind, it's just distracting.'

Robbie smirked as Laura blushed slightly and he said,

'Something you want to share?'

'Perhaps later. Talking of later, will you be going in to see Jean later?'

'Yes. Why?'

'Make sure you take James with you.'

'Why?'

'Trust me, Robbie.'

Laura's face was alight with mirth and Robbie smiled back, saying,

'All right.'

He considered pushing for more information but before he could, Laura was breezing out the door, saying,

'See you later, Robbie.'

When James returned to the station, Robbie said,

'All done?'

'Yes, Sir. I've got food for about a week and extra tea, coffee, milk, sugar and biscuits and I've had spare keys cut.'

'Good. Time to brief Innocent.'

'Actually, Sir, perhaps I should see if Gurdip needs any help.'

'Too late, lad, he's gone out to buy electrical components.'

'Did he find some online photos of Stuart Collins then?'

'No, but I realised that getting the panic buttons made was more urgent.'

'True. Do you want me to start looking for photos, Sir?'

James did his best to radiate earnest helpfulness, which in retrospect he realised was a mistake. Robbie looked suspiciously at him and said,

'I thought you'd apologised to Innocent?'

'I did.'

'Well then, come on.'

Robbie grabbed his jacket and led the way out of their office, looking back impatiently when James hesitated. James reluctantly followed.

When they got to the hospital, Robbie shut the door to the side ward and filled Jean in on their plans.

'A joint operation with DI Peterson. I'm impressed, Robbie,' said Jean, 'You usually avoid joint operations like the plague.'

'Only because lines of command are often unclear in joint operations, Ma'am.'

'And you and Alan have managed to reach an agreement over who's in charge, have you?'

'Yes, Ma'am. Peterson is happy to let me have overall authority.'

'Good. And the leak to the press?'

'All taken care of. I'm reliably informed that the local media will be out in force when you leave tomorrow, Ma'am,' said Robbie.

'And I've promised Jim from the Oxford Post an exclusive if he'll ask a couple of questions for us,' said James.

'Good.'

They discussed the details for a few more minutes and James relaxed. However, once they had covered everything, Jean changed the subject, saying,

'Thank you for getting me that stuff, James.'

'You're welcome, Ma'am,' said James, realising to his horror that he was already starting to blush.

'Your choice of magazine was unexpected,' she continued, casually picking up the magazine and continuing, 'Did James tell you what he'd chosen, Robbie?'

'No, Ma'am,' said Robbie, choking back a laugh as he saw what James had bought.

'I...uh...hoped you'd find it funny,' said James.

'I did,' said Jean, 'though I must admit that I wasn't expecting sex tips from you, James.'

James was blushing furiously but said facetiously,

'I never reject knowledge even from unlikely sources, Ma'am.'

'Knowledge? I think you need to have a chat with Robbie, James. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself trying out any of the positions suggested in here.'

Horrified, James was about to make an indignant rebuttal when he saw the mischievous smile on Jean's face.

'Ma'am...' he said, pleadingly.

'Sorry, James, I couldn't resist it.'

James smiled ruefully, saying,

'I should have known better than to rise to it.'

'Yes and I'm afraid you can't feed me lines like that and expect me to resist them. I'm only human, after all.'

'I'll make sure I remember that, Ma'am.'

Jean smiled at him and said,

'I did really appreciate it, James. Far better than some home and garden magazine. Thank you.'

'I'm glad you enjoyed it, Ma'am,' said James, ducking his head as he blushed again.

James braced himself for more teasing once he and Robbie were back in the car and was very surprised when Robbie simply said,

'You're a braver man than I am, James.'

'I doubt that, Sir.'

'Not surprised you were nervous about seeing her though.'

'I was almost certain that she'd find it funny...'

'She did that,' said Robbie, chuckling.

'Yes, for which I'm extremely thankful although in some ways it would have been good for her to have an excuse to shout at someone.'

'Don't worry, James, someone's bound to need a bollocking soon.'

'True, Sir.'

'Time for a pint?'

'Better not, Sir, I thought I'd go and check that everything was organised at your place.'

Robbie shot him an amused glance but resisted the temptation to tease, knowing that James would want the flat to be immaculate before the team saw it.

'All right. I'll drop you back at the station.'


	23. Chapter 23

It was nearly noon by the time that Jean was discharged the next day. The nurse insisted that she be wheeled out in a wheelchair but when they got to the exit, Jean insisted on getting out. When she got outside she was very glad that she had, not only were the press waiting for her but a team from the local television news were there too. Inwardly cursing James for persuading her to wear casual clothes and not to put make-up on, Jean walked calmly towards the microphones. As agreed, Robbie and James were with her along with two uniformed officers. The reporter from the local TV station immediately started asking her questions,

'Chief Superintendent Innocent, how are you feeling?'

'Rather sore but I'll soon be fine.'

'Is it true that your attacker was planning to sacrifice you as part of a Satanic ritual?'

'I don't think so but we'll ask him once we've caught him.'

'Do you have any leads?'

'As a victim, I'm not allowed to be part of the investigation so I can't answer that question, I'm afraid.'

'Are you worried that he might attack you again?'

'No, I'm sure that he'll be caught within the next day or two.'

Jean managed to sound weary and anxious as she answered and let herself sway slightly.

'Will you be going straight back to work?' asked Jim from the Oxford Post.

'No, I've been told to take a few days off.'

'I understand that your house is still a crime scene; will you be staying with your ex-husband?' continued Jim.

'No, I shall be staying with a friend,' said Jean, deliberately glancing over at Robbie.

'Is it true that he tried to rape you?' asked a reporter from one of the tabloids.

The insensitive question brought Jean's memories of the attack back to the surface and she paled and began to shake. Robbie took one look at her and said,

'Sergeant, get Chief Superintendent Innocent away from here.'

'Yes, Sir.'

James began to force a way through the reporters, scowling angrily. A couple of them tried to stand their ground but James walked right at them, pushing them aside. Walking behind him, Jean noticed that his fists were clenched and she breathed a sigh of relief when they reached his car without incident. They got in and drove off, doing their best to ignore the cameras clicking.

Once the car had gone the reporters turned back to Robbie and he braced himself as the questions began again,

'Is it true that the same man attacked a third woman yesterday morning?' asked the TV news reporter.

'From the description given by the victim, we believe so,' said Robbie, cautiously.

'What advice would you give the women of Oxford?'

'Be vigilant. Check doors and windows are locked when you leave and when you return. If you notice anything suspicious, leave the premises immediately, go somewhere safe and dial 999.'

When they arrived at Robbie's flat, James got Jean's bags out of the boot and opened the front door. As they walked in, Julie Lockhart got up from the sofa, saying,

'Kettle's just boiled, Ma'am, Sir. Coffee? Tea?'

Jean sat on the sofa without replying, noticing distantly that she was still shaking. James and Julie exchanged anxious looks and James said,

'I'll get it, Julie. You stay with the chief superintendent.'

Julie perched nervously in the chair opposite Jean Innocent, wishing that Sergeant Hathaway had let her make the drinks. Realising that it was an odd thing for him to do, Julie looked more carefully at the chief superintendent. Seeing how pale she was, Julie sat beside her and reached for her hand, finding it icy cold. Looking around, Julie saw a blanket folded up on the arm of the armchair so she got it and put it over the chief superintendent, then said,

'Are you all right, Ma'am?'

Jean took a deep breath and pulled the blanket more tightly around her before saying,

'Sorry, one of the reporters asked a question that brought it all back. I'll be fine in a minute.'

'Do you want to talk about it?' asked Julie, very hesitantly.

'Not really.'

Completely at a loss, Julie was extremely pleased to see the sergeant return carrying a tray. James put one of the mugs from the tray on the table next to the chief superintendent, saying,

'Tea, Ma'am. And there are biscuits if you fancy any.'

Jean reached for the tea and began to sip slowly, feeling the world begin to come back in to focus.

An hour later, she was wincing slightly as she ate soup. The soup was excellent but the pain from her bruises wasn't. Noticing her wincing, James put down his spoon and said,

'When are your painkillers due, Ma'am?'

'One.'

'It's half past one now. Are they in your suitcase, Ma'am?' asked James hesitantly.

'No, they're in a paper bag in one of the carrier bags.'

'I'll get them, Sarge,' said Julie, understanding James' reluctance to rummage through Jean's things. He was a bachelor, after all, though Julie was fairly certain that the rumours about him being gay were incorrect. He might be bisexual but the more time she spent with him the more certain Julie became that he wasn't gay. She went into the main bedroom and found the chief superintendent's bags neatly arranged by the bed. The second carrier bag she opened contained the bag of medicines. Julie decided not to try to figure out which were the painkillers, taking the whole bag into the lounge and handing them to the chief superintendent, who said,

'Thanks, Julie.'

Jean swallowed her painkillers and went back to her soup. After they'd finished their soup, James produced a chocolate gateau. Jean closed her eyes, savouring the first mouthful, saying,

'There's no doubt half my daily calorie allowance in this slice but I don't care.'

'Chocolate has been shown to contain important trace minerals as well as flavanoids, which are good for the heart,' said James.

'I'm fairly sure that that only applies to dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa,' said Jean dryly.

James smiled briefly then said in a serious tone,

'I don't think anyone's done an academic paper on the health benefits of chocolate gateau. Perhaps we should suggest it to one of the academics.'

'I'm sure that would go down well,' said Jean smiling.

After she'd finished eating, Jean got up to go to the bathroom and was amused to find James hovering anxiously. Half an hour later, she was much less amused as James continued to fuss, checking that she was warm enough, in less pain and didn't need anything every couple of minutes. When James suggested that she should have a nap, she finally snapped, saying,

'Julie, go and do a perimeter check, please.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

The instant Julie was out of sight, Jean glared at James and said,

'Perhaps you would care to explain how old you think I am, Sergeant? Three perhaps?'

'No, Ma'am.'

'Then why are you acting as though I am?'

'You were only released from hospital today, Ma'am.'

'I am fully aware of that, Sergeant. That doesn't mean I need to be treated like a child?'

'Sorry, Ma'am.'

There was no genuine contrition in his voice and Jean's eyes narrowed,

'You will not suggest that I have a nap again, do I make myself clear?'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Now stop fussing over me and go and get some bloody work done.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

The words were correct and the tone was appropriate but Jean had a horrible feeling that they'd be having this conversation again.

Half an hour later, Robbie arrived carrying a box of files which he put on the coffee table in the lounge. With him were Gurdip and DS Rachel Cutler, who was DI Peterson's sergeant. Gurdip immediately went over to Jean and opened the box he was holding, saying,

'Here are your panic buttons, Ma'am.'

'Panic buttons?'

'Yes, Ma'am. So that you can summon assistance if you're attacked when you're alone. It was Sergeant Hathaway's idea, Ma'am.'

'Why doesn't that surprise me?'

Robbie looked thoughtful at Jean's acid tone but didn't say anything and after a moment Jean continued,

'So what have you got for me, Gurdip?'

'A pendant and three stand-alone buttons.'

Gurdip took out the pendant, which was simply a large button on a string, and handed it to Jean who looked at it carefully, saying,

'I just push here at the base?'

'Yes, Ma'am, and that sends a signal to the receiver.'

Jean pushed the button and Gurdip continued hastily,

'The receiver's not set up yet, Ma'am.'

Jean nodded and lifted the cord and put it round her neck.

'The cord can be adjusted if you want, Ma'am,' said Gurdip, doing his best to avoid staring at her breasts.

'No, it's fine.'

The stand-alone buttons were just that, panic buttons that could be moved around. Gurdip looked hesitantly at Robbie and said,

'I don't know where the best places to put these would be, Sir.'

Robbie thought about it then said,

'This way, lad.'

He led Gurdip into the master bedroom, saying,

'This is where Chief Superintendent Innocent will be sleeping. Put one on the bedside cabinet.'

Gurdip obediently put one of the units on the cabinet. Robbie walked over to the en-suite bathroom and said,

'Will they cope with steam?'

Gurdip hesitated then said,

'Probably not.'

'All right. Next door then.'

He led Gurdip into the second bedroom and said,

'Stick one on the table over there. That way if he comes in here first, Sergeant Hathaway can get back-up and Chief Superintendent Innocent might not be affected at all.'

'Yes, Sir.'

Gurdip put the second button on the table beside the bed. Gurdip followed Robbie back into the lounge and waited whilst he looked around.

'I think it'll have to be in the kitchen,' said Robbie, leading Gurdip into the hallway.

'How about here, Sir?' said Gurdip, touching the end of one of the kitchen cupboards, 'I could probably tape it here.'

'All right. Just make sure that it's not shoulder height on Sergeant Hathaway, you know how he tends to lean.'

'Yes, Sir,' said Gurdip, firmly suppressing a smile.

Gurdip taped the third button to the cupboard and set up the receiver. Once Gurdip had tested the buttons, Robbie sent him and Julie back to the station to continue trying to find pictures of Stuart Collins for comparison with the CCTV footage.

Jean pricked her ears up at the news that they might have a name to go with the face but once Robbie had updated her she realised why they weren't more excited about it,

'Knowing his name doesn't really help, does it?'

'No, Ma'am, not since he appears to have no contacts in Oxford at all.'

'Classic loner.'

'Seems to be, Ma'am. I've got Hooper co-ordinating with uniform; they're doing a random search pattern to see if they can catch him.'

'Good. What's in the box?'

'Cold cases, Ma'am. Something for James to look at whilst he's here.'

'Good, maybe it'll stop him from fussing over me. Tell me, Robbie, is he a complete mother hen when you're hurt too?'

Robbie grinned, ignoring James' indignant look, and said,

'Yes, Ma'am, he's absolutely terrible. You remember when I got that nick on the arm?..'

'When you were stabbed, you mean, Sir,' interrupted James.

'Yes, then. Well, you'd have thought I was at death's door, Ma'am. He wouldn't let me do a thing and kept trying to make me take time off. Mind you, he is a dab hand at ironing.'

'Is he? I've got a huge pile at home.'

'I could get someone to bring it over if you like, Ma'am. I'm sure James wouldn't mind.'

Jean smiled but said,

'I think that's above and beyond the call of duty, Robbie, but I'll bear it in mind.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

Jean looked thoughtfully at James, waiting for a supercilious comment and when it didn't come she said,

'James, why don't you show Rachel all the outside accesses and check for any signs of anyone trying to observe although it is a bit soon for him to be likely to be in place.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'And feel free to have a cigarette, Robbie will look after me.'

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

James and Rachel left and Jean said,

'Is James all right?'

'How do you mean, Ma'am?'

'Robbie...' said Jean warningly.

'I don't know, Ma'am. Ever since you were attacked he's been very angry.'

'Angry?'

'Yes. He's been hiding it well, in the main, but he's furious about it.'

'Taking it personally?'

'Yes. I mean we're all taking it personally, Ma'am, but with James it's just more...more intense.'

'He's got too much empathy. That's why he's going, after all. It tears him apart, doesn't it?'

'I think so. He doesn't talk about it much but I know he finds it hard to put it to one side,' agreed Robbie.

'Professional detachment is so hard to learn. Is there anything I can do to help?'

'Offer him an ear, mebbe. I've been busy with Laura recently so we haven't been going to the pub as often. I keep meaning to make more time but...'

'But you want to spend time with Laura and we both know that James would only feel guilty if you neglected her for him.'

'Yes, but I worry that I'm neglecting him.'

'Well, there's no guarantee that he'll talk to me but I'll try and find a suitable occasion and see if he'll talk about it.'

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

'And in the meantime, I'll try not to strangle him when he's mothering me.'

'I would prefer not to have to arrest you, Ma'am.'

They smiled at each other in complete understanding.


	24. Chapter 24

Robbie, James and Rachel spent the rest of the afternoon going through cold cases. Jean listened for a while, under the cover of reading her book, assessing how Rachel coped when thrown into the deep end with a team that she didn't know. On the whole, Jean was pleased; Rachel was a bit quiet at first but soon started contributing well. She seemed to hit it off with Robbie quite well too and Jean made a mental note to ask Rachel if she would be willing to be Robbie's bagman for the last few months leading up to his retirement. It would be good for her professional development and would help her to make contacts. Alan Peterson was a good officer but having only been in Oxford for a couple of years he didn't know the ins and outs in the same way that Robbie did. And Robbie would encourage Rachel to be more assertive.

At six o'clock, Alan Peterson and Alex Grey arrived and Robbie and Rachel left. Alan had brought pizza with him and Jean was glad that she'd had the chocolate gateau at lunch time. She'd had her fill of pizza when she was younger; her chief inspector at the Met had refused to eat any other take away so she'd consumed hundreds of pizzas whilst in London. Jean ate one slice then sat and watched the others eat, unaware of James' considering gaze on her. Ten minutes later, she was surprised to find him giving her a salad and an apple. Looking completely innocent, he said,

'Sorry, Ma'am, instructions from the hospital.'

Suppressing a smile she said,

'Very well.'

Once they'd finished eating, they settled in for an evening of watching television. Jean was amused to note that despite their very different characters, Alan and James were united in hatred of soaps and reality TV, both preferring documentaries.

Laura looked at Robbie in amused exasperation, saying,

'For goodness sake, call him.'

Robbie didn't try to pretend that he didn't know who Laura meant, saying,

'I can't, it'll look as though I'm checking up on Peterson.'

'Robbie, you're wound up tighter than a drum, you need to do something. Why don't you go back over there?'

'Because I'm not supposed to be there tonight. Alan and I are doing alternate nights.'

'Really? That's going to do horrible things to your body clocks.'

'I know but it's only for a few days.'

'In which case you need to find some way to relax so you get some sleep tonight.'

'And what would you recommend, Doctor?'

Robbie still sounded as if he was only half with her so Laura decided that it was time for drastic measures,

'A game perhaps?'

'A game?'

'Yes. Have you ever played strip poker, Robbie?'

Suddenly, all thought of Jean and the trap that they'd laid vanished from Robbie's mind replaced by the thought of Laura's clothes coming off one item at a time.

An hour later, Robbie was looking ruefully across the table at a highly amused Laura Hobson. She was still wearing everything except for her socks and shoes and cardigan whereas he had just lost his last remaining item of clothes, his underpants. Smiling wickedly, Laura said,

'Come on, Robbie, hand them over.'

Standing, Robbie hooked his hands into the waistband of his pants, slipped them off and handed them to her, saying,

'Remind me never to play poker with you again.'

'Not giving up, are you?'

'Seeing as I seem to have run out of things to bet, I was, yes.'

'There is another option...'

'Yes?'

'From now on you could bet sexual favours.'

'Sexual favours?'

'Such as, fulfilling a fantasy or using your hands and mouth on me for a set length of time, say.'

Robbie sat down abruptly, arousal rushing through his body and said,

'Deal the cards.'

He was fairly certain that he was going to lose again but somehow he was sure that it was going to turn into a win in the end.

Half an hour later, Laura had lost her blouse and jeans and Robbie now owed her two fantasies and an hour of pleasuring her in whatever way she chose. Robbie was so aroused that he could barely focus on his cards and looking across the table at Laura's flushed face and dilated pupils, he could tell that she was struggling too. Laura licked her lips and Robbie decided that it was time to stop playing poker. Standing, he said hoarsely,

'Time I paid off some of my debts. What's your fancy, Pet?'

Laura shivered as his voice lowered on the word 'Pet' and she unconsciously licked her lips again as she ran her eyes over Robbie's body, delighted to see that he was very aroused. Through the haze of arousal Laura managed to remember that she wasn't on call and a glance at the clock confirmed that it was still quite early so she said,

'Fantasy.'

Ten minutes later, they were sitting naked on Laura's bed and Robbie was carefully tightening a silk scarf around Laura's head, blindfolding her. He checked that her nose was clear then said,

'All right, Pet?'

'Yes,' said Laura huskily.

Robbie pushed gently on Laura's shoulders and she lay back on the bed. Robbie looked at her beautiful body and made himself recite police procedures in his mind to calm himself down; this was Laura's fantasy, he wanted her to enjoy it. Laura's feet were dangling off the bed so Robbie picked them up and lifted them on to the bed, getting Laura to move into the middle of the bed.  
>Robbie waited for a moment then stood back a bit, leant over and blew on one of Laura's nipples. She shivered and reached a hand towards where she thought that he would be but only touched air. Robbie moved quietly around the bed and ran his hand down Laura's thigh, scratching lightly. Again, Laura reached for him and again, Robbie evaded her touch. Robbie moved again then bent and kissed Laura lightly on the lips. Laura managed to touch his head for a second but then he was gone again.<br>Laura squirmed as her arousal built as Robbie continued to touch, kiss and blow on different parts of her body, never staying for more than a moment in one place and never allowing her to touch him properly. Not being able to see heightened every sensation, turning Robbie's touches into flames and making her skin sensitive to the slightest sensation. Robbie gradually increased the amount of time that he was touching her but kept the touches light, ignoring her pleas for firmer touches.  
>After a few minutes, Laura couldn't bear the gentle torture any more and when Robbie inadvertently stood on a creaky floorboard she grabbed him around the waist and pulled herself up to him, saying,<p>

'Enough foreplay.'

Robbie grinned as Laura tried to pull him on to the bed, saying mischievously,

'Are you quite sure, Laura?'

'Get on this bed right now, Robbie Lewis!'

Chuckling, Robbie climbed on to the bed and pulled Laura to him, holding her firmly against him and kissing her passionately. Laura melted into him and they kissed and caressed each other for several minutes.  
>Robbie waited until Laura was moaning with pleasure then gently rolled her on to her back. Laura pushed the blindfold off and their eyes met as their bodies joined. They gazed into each others eyes as Robbie thrust gently and they both moaned. Robbie sped up and as he moved, he kissed and caressed Laura, expertly finding the spots that made her writhe beneath him. Laura's arousal very quickly spiralled upwards and soon she was screaming as an intense climax rolled through her body leaving her tingling and sated. A few seconds later, Robbie followed her, pleasure shooting through his body.<br>Panting, Laura reached up and kissed Robbie tenderly, saying,

'Thank you.'

'Was that what you wanted?'

'Yes, it was perfect.'

Robbie smiled and said,

'So what other fantasy do you want me to fulfil?'


	25. Chapter 25

Jean woke abruptly, blinking rapidly as the nightmare slowly left her. Sitting up, she realised that it was finally morning. She had had four nightmares during the night and eventually had had to leave a lamp on so that she could check that no one was in the room more easily. Moving slowly, hurting all over, she put on her dressing gown and slippers and went in search of breakfast.

The day passed slowly. Alan Peterson and Alex Grey were replaced by John Hooper and DC Matt Ellison, another of Peterson's team and together they carried on going through the cold cases. Robbie rang to say that forensics had finished with Jean's house so Jean arranged for professional cleaners to clean her house from top to bottom.

After that, Jean read the papers and her book and surfed the net but by mid-afternoon she was very bored so she went and picked up the next case file out of the box. James grit his teeth, knowing that he was about to be very unpopular, and said,

'John, Matt, would you do a check of the outside accesses, please?'

'Yes, Sarge.'

'Yes, Sir.'

James waited until they had left then said,

'Ma'am, you're off sick.'

'I am aware of that fact, Sergeant.'

'You're not allowed to work, Ma'am. Particularly not when you're recovering from a head injury.'

'James, stop fussing. I'm fine.'

'If you were fine, you'd be back at work. How many days did the doctor sign you off for?'

'None of your business, Sergeant,' said Jean crisply.

'But you are signed off sick at the moment, aren't you?'

'Yes,' said Jean, glaring at him.

With anyone except for him and Robbie, she might have lied but she knew that not only would James know that she was lying, he'd call her on it too, never mind how insubordinate that would be.

'Then you're not working.'

James' voice was firm and calm and his face was a blank mask as he reached for the file that she had chosen, pulling it out of her hands. Stunned, Jean said,

'In case it had slipped your notice, Sergeant Hathaway, I outrank you. You don't tell me what to do, I tell you what to do.'

'Technically speaking, Ma'am, you don't outrank me whilst you're off sick.'

Jean grit her teeth as she glared impotently at James. James was probably the only person in the entire force who would have the tedious minutiae of the regulations at his fingertips and he was definitely the only one who would have the gall to use it against her. Normally, Jean would have made a couple of biting remarks before reaching a compromise but the stress of the last few days overwhelmed her and she lost her temper, swearing and shouting at him.

Outside, Matt and John exchanged looks and without a word, began another circuit of the garden, walking as slowly as possible.

James stood silently as Jean shouted at him, not attempting to defend himself or deflect her anger. After fifteen minutes, Jean wound down, feeling weepy and exhausted. Determined not to show any weakness, she went into the bedroom and sat on the bed, burying her face in her hands as she cried.  
>James stood silently outside the bedroom listening to her cry. He took a tentative step towards the door but then stopped. Frustrated, he turned and went back to the cold case that he was working on.<p>

Jean looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, feeling grumpy and out of sorts. She had bathed her eyes so most of the redness had gone but without her make-up there was nothing she could do to hide the bags under her eyes or make herself look more glamorous. Though with the bruises all over her body now all colours of the rainbow, she supposed that worrying about her face was absurd. Realising that she was procrastinating, she told her reflection,

'Jean, stop being a coward.'

Settling her face into a neutral expression, she went out into the lounge.

John and Matt were quietly discussing a case but James was nowhere to be seen.

'Where's Sergeant Hathaway?' asked Jean.

'In the back garden, Ma'am, checking the fence for damage,' said John.

'I'll go and join him, I could do with some fresh air.'

'We'll come with you, Ma'am,' said Matt.

'No need, I've got my panic button.'

Matt looked as though he wanted to argue but Jean silenced him with a glare.

James was smoking a cigarette whilst going slowly around the garden checking for loose or damaged fence panels. He turned as he heard Jean's footsteps but waited for her to speak.

'Any problems?' she said.

'No, it's been well-maintained.'

'Good... James, I overreacted, I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. I'm sorry.'

'It's all right, Ma'am, I was being insubordinate.'

'Yes, though that is what the regulations say, of course.'

'Yes but it wasn't an appropriate thing for me to say.'

Jean smiled wryly,

'No, reminding superior officers of the regulations is never going to go down well.'

'No. I apologise, Ma'am.'

Jean smiled and said,

'That's all right. Just try not to do it again.'

'I'll try although according to Inspector Lewis I'm an incurable smartarse, Ma'am.'

'As well as a complete mother hen.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

The tone was respectful but James' lips turned up and Jean found her lips quirking upwards too.

'If you've finished damaging your lungs shall we head back inside?'

James stubbed out his cigarette and followed Jean inside.

Robbie looked in frustration at the map showing the suspects known movements, wishing that James was here to bounce ideas around with. Sighing, he summoned Grey and said, pointing at the map,

'What am I missing?'

'Sir?'

'There must be a pattern to his movements so why can't we find him?'

'Must there be a pattern, Sir?'

'Most people have a routine.'

'Yes, Sir, but he's not in his home town, is he?'

'No, he's not... so how is he finding his way around?'

'Using an app on his phone?'

'Collins doesn't have a phone registered in his name.'

'Paper map then, Sir?'

'Which explains why we can't see a pattern to his movements, he keeps getting lost.'

'Maybe, Sir,' said Grey doubtfully.

'Think about it, man. When you go to a strange city, you use a SatNav or an app on your phone which adjusts to your position automatically. He's using a paper map so when he has to run, he's running blind.'

'Yes, Sir. But what does that mean?'

'It means that trying to predict where he'll go is pointless, we need to do this the old-fashioned way.'

'Sir?'

'Get your coat, we're going to break one of the unwritten rules of policing.'

'What's that, Sir?'

'We're going to talk to the press voluntarily.'

When Robbie arrived at his flat that evening it was gone seven. Rachel had arrived earlier but John and Matt had both waited for him to arrive before leaving, he was pleased to see. Nodding approvingly at them, he said,

'Anything to report?'

Both men replied,

'No, Sir.'

However, John's eyes flicked briefly from Jean to James and Robbie made a mental note to get James on his own later and interrogate him.

'Good. You get off home then.'

John and Matt left and James went into the kitchen, saying,

'I'll put the chicken on.'

'Do you want a hand?' said Rachel, following James into the kitchen.

Robbie sat on the sofa next to Jean and said,

'How are you?'

'I'm fine.'

Robbie just looked at Jean and after a few seconds she said,

'I'm getting there.'

'If you want to talk about it...'

'No, but thank you, Robbie.'

'Anything I can do?'

'Find me something to do, I'm bored.'

Robbie looked at the box of cold cases and Jean continued,

'As James very kindly pointed out, I'm not supposed to be working.'

Robbie winced slightly and Jean said,

'You may yet be arresting me, Robbie. Quoting regulations at your extremely tense and edgy boss isn't conducive to good health.'

'No, Ma'am. Do you want me to have a word with him?'

'No. Hopefully being sworn at for several minutes in three different languages will have got the point across.'

'He's a quick study.'

'Yes. If only he knew when to keep his mouth shut.'

Robbie didn't comment knowing that Jean had a valid point, James was hopeless at keeping his mouth shut when he should.

Dinner was tense until Robbie started reminiscing about his time on the force in Newcastle, regaling them with some of the odder situations that he'd had to deal with. Jean joined in with some of her experiences and they ended up laughing and joking about the sheer strangeness of some of the things that had happened to each of them.

After dinner, Robbie offered to help James clean up, refusing to let the others join in so that he could be alone with him. Once the door was shut, Robbie said,

'Want to talk about it?'

'Not really.'

'All right,' said Robbie amiably.

They started washing up and after a few minutes James sighed and said,

'I overstepped the line.'

'Do I need to bollock you?'

'I don't think so, Sir. Chief Superintendent Innocent has an eloquent turn of phrase and a very extensive vocabulary.'

'I have noticed that in the past.'

'And speaks French and what I think was Polish, Sir.'

'A woman of many talents.'

'Yes, Sir.'

'But not infinite patience, particularly not at the moment.'

'No, Sir.'

'So try and keep your thoughts to yourself.'

'Yes, Sir.'

The night passed quietly and Robbie and Rachel left when Alex and Matt arrived the next morning.


	26. Chapter 26

Alex, Matt and James continued going through cold cases, working well together, but Jean found herself becoming increasingly snappy as the day wore on; being bored and in pain didn't make waiting any easier.  
>Particularly not when you were waiting for someone to try to kill you.<br>Alex and Matt reacted by calling her 'Ma'am' every single time they spoke to her whilst James withdrew into himself. Feeling guilty and angry, Jean forced herself to watch one of Robbie's dvds, relaxing slightly as she lost herself in the plot for a while.  
>However, when the Oxford Post arrived, her tension soared again; the front page was dedicated to the attacks and included a quote from an unnamed source saying that she was staying at a male colleague's flat. The quote was helpfully accompanied by a picture of her flanked by James and Robbie. Taking a deep breath, Jean said,<p>

'Did any of you know about this?'

'Yes, Ma'am,' said Alex, 'Inspector Lewis asked them to run it.'

'To let him know where I am?'

'He said it was to bait the trap, Ma'am.'

'I see.'

And she did see. She'd just somehow hoped that they would catch him first. The fact that Robbie, who hated the press, had voluntarily gone and spoken to them meant that he thought that they had no chance of catching him any other way and they needed him to come here before he killed someone else.

James read the article over her shoulder then said,

'Time to go to phase two, Ma'am?'

Phase two involved being extra careful not to let anyone else be seen. Jean nodded and went and closed the curtains in the kitchen. The rest of the windows had net curtains but those two windows only had curtains so needed to be shut.

By the time that Robbie arrived in the evening, Jean was jumping at the slightest noise. Even though she was preoccupied, she realised that she wasn't expecting to see him,

'Where's Alan?'

'Food poisoning, Ma'am.'

'Too much pizza probably.'

'Quite possibly, Ma'am, so it'll be Julie and I tonight.'

'Does Julie know to be in plain clothes?'

'Yes, Ma'am. She's gone home to change.'

'Good. I saw the story in the Oxford Post. I gather that was your doing.'

'Sorry, I meant to call you, Ma'am.'

Jean looked closely at Robbie, saying,

'When's the last time you got any sleep?'

'Wednesday night.'

'We'll split the night. I'll wake you at three.'

'Ma'am...'

Jean rolled her eyes as both men protested and said,

'I'm not going to be able to get to sleep anyway so you might as well get some rest.'

Robbie looked blearily at Jean, seeing the truth in her face and nodded, saying,

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

'You're welcome... And Robbie, it's Jean.'

'Thank you, Jean.'

'You too, James.'

'Ma'am?'

'After all, you were the one who pointed out that I don't keep my rank when I'm off sick. I've been 'Ma'am'ed to death today. It's six o'clock on Friday night, it's Jean from now on.'

'Yes, Ma... Jean,' said James hesitantly.

'So, what's for dinner?'

Once they'd eaten, Robbie disappeared into the master bedroom, took off his shoes and lay on top of the covers to sleep. He was so exhausted that he fell asleep within minutes.

Jean, James and Julie were watching television when they heard the loud snoring coming from the bedroom. Jean turned to James and said,

'How on Earth does Laura sleep through _that_?'

'I couldn't possibly comment,' said James, smirking.

'He'd be sleeping in the spare room if it was me,' said Julie.

'I couldn't put up with it,' agreed Jean.

Both women turned to James expectantly but he shook his head, saying,

'I have not been privy to their sleeping arrangements.'

'But...' probed Jean.

'But they seem very happy.'

'Yes, so they must have worked something out,' said Jean.

'Heavy duty ear defenders?' suggested Julie.

James and Jean both laughed at the image of Laura wearing ear defenders in bed.

By eleven Julie was yawning continuously and James said,

'Why don't you go and get some sleep? I'll wake you at three.'

'Are you sure, Sar...James?'

'Yes, I can sleep in tomorrow.'

'All right. Thanks.'

Julie went into the spare room and settled down to sleep gratefully.

Jean looked unenthusiastically at the TV programme guide, saying,

'Shall I turn it off or was there something you fancied watching?'

'No, I've watched more than enough for one night. Can I get you anything? Hot chocolate? Wine?'

'Hot chocolate would be lovely. Thank you, James.'

James made hot chocolate for them both and they sipped in silence for a few minutes. Jean looked at James' tense, closed off expression and said,

'When you resigned I was so focussed on changing your mind that I didn't really give you a chance to talk about what was bothering you. If you ever need someone to listen, James, you can talk to me. And I don't mean just for the next few days, I mean any time.'

'Thank you. I really appreciate it...'

Jean waited quietly and after a minute James continued,

'I just...have to stop. I feel as though I've lost a part of myself. I don't have any faith in people any more. And I'm losing faith in myself, I don't seem to be able to tell what's right and what's wrong any more.'

'Because of all the murders you've had to deal with?'

James paused before saying,

'No, or rather not only that. It seems as though everyone we meet has some secret and they lie to protect it regardless of whether or not it has any relevance to the case. And we bully and pry until we find out what it is.'

'Do you really think that you bully people?'

'Sometimes...and I hate that I'm willing to.'

'The job can be very difficult sometimes but what we do is necessary.'

'Yes and part of me wishes that I could continue doing it but I don't know how to and stay myself.'

'I understand.'

Jean's words were sincere and James felt something within him easing,

'I never wanted to let you down,' he said.

'You haven't. You're exceptionally good at your job but the last thing I would want is for your mental health to be permanently affected by it. I've seen a lot of good people damaged by this job, I don't want you to be added to the list.'

'Thank you,' said James.

Jean nodded and waited to see if James wanted to talk anymore about it. Instead, he said, very hesitantly,

'Are _you_ all right?'

'I will be.'

James waited patiently and after a few seconds, Jean continued,

'At the moment, I can't think of anything except wanting it to be over.'

'Yes.'

Their eyes met and Jean relaxed as she realised that James completely understood that until they caught Collins (or whoever it was), she couldn't even begin to deal with it. After a few seconds, she said,

'I remember you telling me a bit about your band when I was unconscious. You play guitar?'

James started talking about the band, hesitantly at first but then more confidently as he realised that Jean was genuinely interested.


	27. Chapter 27

Robbie woke slowly, feeling rested. Peering at his watch, he muttered a curse; it was eight o'clock in the morning. Thinking uncomplimentary thoughts about superior officers addicted to martyrdom, he used the bathroom then went into the lounge. He only made it as far as the door however, before finding himself being ushered into the kitchen by James, who was holding a finger to his lips. Once they were in the kitchen with the door closed, James murmured,

'Jean's asleep on the sofa.'

'So that's why she didn't wake me.'

'Yes, she drifted off at about one. There didn't seem any point waking her just to move her into the bedroom,' said James, neglecting to mention Jean's nightmares or the relief she seemed to find on seeing him sat opposite her.

'Fair enough.'

Robbie paused for a moment as his sleep-befuddled brain tried to catch up, then continued,

'Wasn't Julie supposed to be staying up?'

'We agreed to split it but then I fell asleep.'

Robbie looked closely at James but as far as he could tell, James was telling the truth. He looked more relaxed than the previous evening too. Shrugging inwardly, Robbie turned his mind to the far more important matter of breakfast.

Jean was woken by the smell of bacon cooking. Rolling off the sofa she was pleased to find that the pain wasn't as bad as the day before. Grimacing at the grubby feeling caused by being in the same clothes as the day before, she decided that she had to shower before eating and was pleased to see that Robbie was out of the bedroom.

Having showered and changed, Jean went into the kitchen, finding Robbie and James chatting quietly and drinking tea. James immediately leapt up, saying,

'Bacon and eggs, Jean?'

'Just toast for me, thank you.'

James looked disapprovingly at her but she met his gaze levelly, saying,

'I'm not naturally slim like you are, James. If you keep making me three cooked meals a day none of my clothes will fit me any more.'

'That would be a shame,' said James without thinking.

A moment later he was squirming as both Jean and Robbie stared at him. As he watched, Jean's confusion began to turn to anger as she decided that he was making fun of her. Blushing, he said hurriedly,

'I mean...you...that is... Laura always says how well you dress.'

James relaxed as Jean's expression changed to one of confused amusement. Relieved that she had decided that he was simply being maladroit again, James put more water in the kettle and turned it on. When he turned round he found Robbie regarding him with cynical amusement and his blush deepened. Luckily, Robbie decided to keep his thoughts to himself and James was able to make tea and toast for Jean and then escape.

Robbie let him leave, there would be plenty of time to tease him later. In the meantime it was good to see James' mind on something other than revenge.

Two hours later, humour was the last thing on Robbie's mind. Jean was clearly finding the waiting difficult, which was hardly surprising, but her tension was affecting everyone. After a careful sweep of the outside, Julie had left, being replaced by Alex Grey, who's reaction to the tension was to retreat into impeccable politeness once more. With James retreating into Sphinx-like inscrutability, it left Robbie single-handedly trying to defuse the situation. He convinced Jean to watch a dvd then went into the kitchen and sent Laura a text,

*Morning, Pet. Sleep well? *

*Yes though I missed you. *

*Missed you too. *

*How's Jean? *

*Tense. Needs something to distract her. *

*I've got just the thing. If it's ok for me to come over? *

Robbie paused but realistically an attack in broad daylight was unlikely,

*Yes but let me get uniform to do a sweep, we don't want him to see who's coming in and out. *

*I'll be there in an hour. *

An hour later, Laura arrived carrying a carrier bag. She waited until the dvd had finished, then said,

'Who wants to play a game?'

Robbie looked sharply at her and she grinned mischievously at him.

'What have you brought?' asked Jean.

'I thought about bringing Monopoly but decided that doing the autopsies afterwards would be too tedious, so I've got Scrabble and a couple of packs of cards.'

'I haven't played Scrabble for years,' said Jean, 'Anyone fancy a game?'

'I used to play a bit,' said James.

'I'm in,' said Laura.

Robbie looked at Laura and James' innocent expressions and said,

'Not me.'

He'd been caught by James' 'a bit' before and as a doctor, Laura was bound to have an amazing vocabulary.

'How about you, Alex?' said Laura.

'All right but you'll have to remind me of the rules.'

The four of them settled down and Robbie watched amused as they proved beyond any doubt that humans are competitive animals.

The first game lasted until lunch with James narrowly winning, to no one's surprise. Jean and Laura challenged him to a rematch after lunch but Alex joined Robbie, watching the football.

By the time that James had won the second and third games, it was nearly dinner time and Rachel had arrived to take over from Alex. Robbie looked regretfully at Laura, saying,

'I'm afraid that's your cue to leave, Laura.'

Laura nodded. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on and the last thing she wanted was to distract them at a critical time. Giving Robbie a kiss, she followed Alex out into the twilight. As she opened her car, Alex said,

'Don't be alarmed when you see someone following you, Doctor, it'll be me.'

Annoyed, Laura said,

'Did Robbie put you up to this?'

'No, Doctor. I just want to make sure that you get home safely, that's all.'

'Why?'

'Because when I attend one of your autopsies you see a detective first and a black man second.'

'Oh,' said Laura, nonplussed. She knew that racism was an ongoing problem in a lot of sections of society but she hadn't realised that her fellow pathologists were still stuck in the Dark Ages.

Luckily Alex didn't wait for a response, simply going to his car and waiting for her to drive off.

After dinner, Robbie was surprised when Jean suggested more Scrabble but realised that she needed the intellectual challenge to stop her from dwelling on being the bait in their trap. Rachel, it turned out, was no keener on Scrabble than he was but James eagerly accepted, confirming Robbie's belief that 'played a bit' really meant that he'd been in the Cambridge University Scrabble team or something similar. He and Rachel settled down to watch a film leaving Jean and James concentrating ferociously on the Scrabble board.

Two hours later, Jean placed her last tiles on the board with an exultant smile. Grimacing, James said,

'Triple word score; that gives you a hundred and fourteen.'

He looked at his last tiles then shook his head in disappointment,

'The best I can do is seventeen. You've won.'

'Yes! I mean, thank you, well played.'

James smiled at Jean, saying,

'Well played. Another game?'

'I'm quite tired. Perhaps we could have a rematch tomorrow?'

'I'd like that.'

They joined Robbie and Rachel and all watched television for the rest of the evening. At eleven, Jean went to bed. She didn't think she'd sleep but within half an hour she'd drifted off.

By midnight the others were all asleep too.


	28. Chapter 28

James was woken by an intense craving for a cigarette. Lying in bed, he fought the urge to go outside and have a few puffs, it was past time that he gave up. He tried to go back to sleep but after a few minutes realised that it was hopeless. Feeling thoroughly fed up, James pulled a jumper on over his top and got out of bed.

Jean was dreaming that she was being kissed and caressed by a tall, strong man with a slim and thoroughly masculine body. His hands were running down her body, finding all of the places that made her pulse race and she was making him groan with pleasure. She stirred restlessly in her sleep as desire began spreading through her body for the first time since the attack. She turned over on to her side and the dream changed and suddenly she was looking at a broken mirror, pieces scattered on the floor where she'd dropped it. Fear flooded her mind as she jerked awake. She saw the glass on the floor out of the corner of her eye as her mind tried to react to the knife plunging towards her chest.

Later, Jean realised that it was her police training that saved her. Even before her conscious mind had worked out that she was being attacked, her body was moving, both hands grasping the wrist holding the knife and pushing it sideways so that the knife plunged into the bed beside her. She opened her mouth to scream but her attacker put his other hand over her mouth so what came out was a squeak rather than a scream. He tried to get his knife hand free but Jean hung on with all of her strength. Twisting in the bed, she swung her legs round and out of the bed, kicking him in the ribs. The angle was awkward but she knocked him away for long enough for her to pull her mouth away from his hand and scream once. A second later he had pushed his hand back down over her mouth and was forcing the knife down towards her face. Jean pushed upwards as hard as she could, struggling to hold the knife away, wriggling on the bed to try to get better leverage.

Suddenly James was there, yanking her attacker backwards. The man turned to attack James and Jean yelled,

'Knife!'

James caught the glint of the knife just in time, catching the blow on the back of his forearm, ignoring the pain and the blood, hitting the attacker in the stomach. The man doubled over and Jean hit him over the head with a pottery candlestick from the bedside cabinet, breaking it and making him slump briefly. He started to straighten and James hit him on the side of the head.

Then Robbie and Rachel were in the room, grappling the killer to the floor, disarming him and then handcuffing him. The man continued to struggle and swear so Robbie and Rachel were forced to stay on the floor, holding him in place.

Panting, Jean looked at the blood coursing down James' arm and swore. She pulled the pillow case off the pillow and put it over James' wound pressing firmly and saying,

'James, sit down before you fall down.'

She waited until James had sat on the edge of the bed then said, still applying pressure to his wound,

'Robbie, call for back-up and ambulances. Rachel, caution him.'

Jean turned back to James, moving closer to him so that she could apply pressure more evenly. Their legs touched and Jean resisted the temptation to lean into him as the contact sent a gentle buzz through her body. She looked down at James and saw her desire mirrored in his eyes before he blushed and looked at the floor. Jean waited for a moment, then forced her mind back to the current situation, saying,

'Robbie, have you got him under control?'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Rachel, can you go and get James an ice pack for his knuckles and get me a clean towel for his arm, please?'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

Jean concentrated on stemming the blood flow and pretended not to notice that James was discreetly admiring her breasts whenever he thought that no one was looking.

Five minutes later back-up arrived. Jean cast a disdainful look at the man on the floor and said to the uniformed officers,

'Get him out of here, I don't want to waste another second of my life looking at him.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Make sure he gets immediate medical attention and put in a request for a psychiatric evaluation too. I don't want anyone to be able to say that we didn't do everything by the book. Understood?'

Yes, Ma'am.'

The officers pulled Jean's attacker to his feet led him away. Robbie immediately came over and said,

'Are you all right, Jean? James?'

'I'm a bit shaken up but I'm fine. We need to get James to hospital as soon as possible though,' said Jean.

'It's only a flesh wound,' said James, 'And you need to go to hospital too, Jean.'

Jean glared at James but he met her gaze steadily, saying quietly,

'You're shaking.'

'I'm just cold,' she lied.

James held her gaze and she sighed, saying resignedly,

'Fine, I'll come...Bloody mother hen...'

James smiled ruefully at Jean's last comment and after a moment Jean smiled too. Robbie looked thoughtfully at them but said,

'If I take over, Jean, I can help James into the other room and help him put some trousers and shoes on. Do you need Rachel to help you?'

'No, I'll be fine.'

Jean resisted the temptation to look downwards as the realisation that James was in his pyjamas hit her. Reminding herself that they were in a work situation, she kept her eyes firmly on his face. Robbie took over applying pressure on James' wound and led James carefully out of the room.


	29. Chapter 29

Two hours later, Jean and Robbie were sitting in A&E waiting for news on James' injury when Laura arrived. Robbie had wanted to call her earlier but the necessary paperwork combined with making sure that James and Jean got seen as quickly as possible had all taken time. Then Jean had pointed out that there was no point waking Laura at five o'clock in the morning just so that she could sit in a hospital waiting room so Robbie had waited until six before ringing her.

Laura carried out a brief clinical assessment of them both as she walked across the waiting room towards them. Robbie seemed completely unhurt, as he had told her, and Jean seemed pale but all right. Accordingly, she kissed them each on the cheek and said,

'Any news about James?'

'No. He's still with the doctor, as far as we know,' said Robbie.

'I'll go and see what I can find out in a minute,' said Laura, 'How are you, Jean?'

'I feel a bit shaken but I wasn't hurt,' replied Jean.

'Have you been seen?'

'Yes. I was told to rest, keep warm and drink plenty of fluids.'

Laura nodded briskly and said,

'Why don't you stay with us tonight? I assume that Robbie's flat is now a crime scene and your house won't be ready until tomorrow, will it?'

'Are you sure? I don't want to impose.'

'Of course I'm sure.'

'Thank you,' said Jean, relieved not to have to try and deal with a hotel when all she wanted to do was slump on a sofa and turn her brain off.

'I'll get an update on James,' said Laura, disappearing in the direction of the cubicles.

She returned a few minutes later, smiling, and Robbie felt himself relaxing as she said,

'They're just finishing up now. The cut on his arm was shallow so there's no nerve damage and it should heal without any complications. The knuckles on his other hand are impressively bruised but nothing's broken.'

'Good,' said Jean, relief coursing through her body.

'So, straight back to my place for breakfast once James is ready?' said Laura.

'Yes,' agreed Robbie.

A little while later, Laura was smiling fondly as she looked at the three of them sleeping in her lounge. Jean and Robbie were on either side of her on the sofa and James was in the chair opposite Jean. They'd dozed off one after another after breakfast. Moving slowly and quietly, Laura eased herself off the sofa and went into her conservatory and started on some paperwork.

Some time later, Laura was distracted by familiar hands sliding along her shoulders. She tilted her head back and Robbie kissed her gently on the lips. She smiled and he murmured,

'Is what you're working on urgent?'

'No,' said Laura, pushing it aside.

She went to stand but Robbie pushed gently on her shoulders, holding her in place. She raised her eyebrows and he kissed her again, passionately this time, and ran his hands down her body to cup her breasts. He stayed stood behind her as he caressed her breasts through her clothes, all the time kissing her passionately. Laura tried to reach behind her to caress him but he was out of reach so she put one hand round his neck and ran the other through his hair. A couple of minutes later, Robbie slid his hands down to her waist, untucking her blouse from her jeans and then sliding his left hand upwards to play with her breasts again, delighted to discover that she wasn't wearing a bra,

'You're so sexy,' he murmured, 'I love touching you.'

Laura went to reply but he was kissing her again and pleasure was coursing through her body from his hand skillfully caressing her. She was so aroused by what he was doing that she didn't notice him undoing her jeans until his hand was inside them.

'I love you in black lace,' he said, casually sliding his hand into her knickers, 'You make me want to spend all my time making love to you.'

Laura knew that they should move but Robbie's words melted her and then he was kissing and caressing her and somehow she'd lost the ability to form coherent thought.

Robbie concentrated on moving his hands together whilst making sure that he smothered her moans in his kisses. Laura began to writhe against his hands and Robbie caressed her more firmly. Two minutes later Laura climaxed, arching into his hands. Robbie kissed her until her orgasm had passed then gently withdrew his hands. Laura stood up on shaky legs and led him upstairs.

Once they were in the bedroom, Laura pushed Robbie up against the wall and kissed him hard, unbuttoning his shirt. He responded and began to undress Laura too. Once they were both naked they moved on to the bed and Robbie began to kiss his way down Laura's body. She stopped him, saying,

'Your turn, don't you think?'

'No, Pet,' he said firmly, carrying on, 'Time to get you back up.'

Robbie held Laura gently in place as he used his mouth to arouse her. Only when he was certain that she would go over the edge before him did he stop and join their bodies. Robbie tried to move slowly but Laura was too aroused to take her time, pushing Robbie on to his back and taking charge, sending them both spiralling upwards to completion. They climaxed together and then lay panting in each other's arms.

'Not that I'm complaining, but what was that in the conservatory?' asked Laura curiously.

'Ah,' said Robbie, looking embarrassed, 'It's a fantasy of mine. Sorry, I probably should have checked with you first.'

'A fantasy? I'm guessing that it had nothing to do with my conservatory and everything to do with Jean and James being in the next room?'

'Yes...'

'And...'

Robbie darted a look at Laura's face and was relieved to see that she looked amused rather than annoyed. Emboldened, he continued,

'It was knowing that we might get caught...'

'Robert Lewis, you naughty boy! I had no idea you had such a warped mind,' said Laura, smiling delightedly.

'You don't mind, Pet?'

'No. So, why didn't you go all the way? I assume that is your full fantasy?'

'Because I realised that we hadn't discussed it and being discovered with your partner's hands inside your clothes is one thing, being discovered naked in the middle of sex is another thing completely.'

'True... I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable putting James in that position, he'd be so embarrassed... Jean would take it in her stride, I should think.'

'Yes, she was in Vice in the Met. I don't think we'd manage to shock her with some normal sex. She'd have just raised an eyebrow and gone back into the other room.'

'I can imagine her doing exactly that, but you saved her blushes this time anyway.'

'Yes... So you might be willing to go all the way another time?'

Laura smiled at Robbie's eager expression, saying,

'Yes.'

Robbie kissed Laura and said,

'Have I mentioned that you're a wonderful person, Doctor Hobson?'

'Yes but feel free to say it whenever you like.'

Jean woke abruptly, blinking rapidly as the nightmare slowly left her. As the world came back into focus she saw James asleep in the chair opposite her, his long body curled up into a tight ball. For the first time, Jean let herself consider him properly as a man rather than as a junior colleague. Yes, there'd always been moments when she'd felt a flare of attraction towards him but she'd been married and his boss. Now she was divorced and in five days time she would no longer be his boss so would she be interested? James was very intelligent, empathetic, loyal and completely trustworthy. He was also obstinate and quite introverted. And he had a unique talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. And he wasn't in the least bit intimidated by her, despite the number of times she'd had to tell him off. And he had a really good body... Jean let her eyes run over his sleeping form, wondering what it would be like to kiss and caress him. Would he have the same fantasies as her? Jean squirmed slightly as she had a sudden vision of James teasing her until she lost control. James stirred and Jean blushed and forced her mind out of the gutter, thinking wryly that she'd answered her own question. So what was she going to do about it? As Jean tried to decide what to do her eyelids became heavier and heavier and she fell asleep again.

Laura reluctantly woke Jean and James at lunchtime not wanting their body clocks to get turned around. After lunch, Robbie said,

'I'm going to pop into the station and see how the interrogation's going.'

'I'll come with you, Sir,' said James, getting to his feet.

'No you bloody won't,' said Jean, emphatically, 'You were only injured a few hours ago.'

'I'm fine,' said James.

'Really? So the doctor didn't sign you off sick then?' said Jean sarcastically.

James grimaced, knowing that he wasn't going to win, Jean was enjoying the opportunity to get some revenge too much. Robbie smiled and said,

'Give in gracefully, lad, you won't win this one.'

James sat down, admitting defeat. In fact, standing up had been more effort than he'd expected though there was absolutely no way that he was going to admit it.

'Neither of you are doing anything except resting,' said Laura firmly, 'You can watch a film if you like or read a book but definitely no working and, James, you're not to lift anything heavier than a mug of coffee with your injured arm. Understood?'

'Yes, Doctor,' said James sardonically, adding, 'Am I allowed to go to the bathroom on my own?'

As soon as the words left his mouth, James knew that they were a mistake. A microsecond later, Laura replied,

'Well you probably should have someone with you. Who would you prefer, me or Jean?'

'Or I can always take you,' said Robbie, grinning, 'It's been a while since I've taken someone to the bog but I'm sure it'd be no different to taking our Mark when he was a lad.'

Blushing furiously, James said,

'Thank you for the offer but I'll be fine.'

Standing carefully, James made his way to Laura's downstairs toilet, ostentatiously locking the door behind him.

Robbie and Laura exchanged amused smiles then Robbie left.


	30. Chapter 30

Jean and James spent the afternoon watching dvds and sipping the continuous supply of tea, coffee, water and orange juice brought to them by Laura. Since Laura's bedside manner was brusque at best, neither of them had the courage to protest.

When Robbie returned they both pounced on him.

'Well?' said Jean.

'How did the interrogation go?' asked James.

Robbie sat down with a sigh, saying,

'He's still in hospital; you two did some significant damage to him.'

'Oh?' said Jean.

'Broken nose, concussion and three broken ribs and an assortment of bruises.'

'Nothing that will stop him from standing trial though?' asked James.

'No, he'll be fit soon enough.'

'Has he been questioned?' asked Jean, 'Did he say how he got into your flat?'

'The doctor allowed Hooper and Grey an hour with him earlier. He stole a small stepladder from a shed on the allotments the day before yesterday, waited until dark then used it to start making his way through the gardens at the back, starting right at the end of the street. He spent the day holed up in the bushes of number twenty-two, then once it was late enough, made his way to my back garden and quite by chance broke the window of the room you were in, Jean.'

'Sneaky bastard,' said James.

'He's that all right,' agreed Robbie.

'What about the first attack on me and Doctor O'Donnell's murder and the attack on Ms Dyer? What did he say about them?'

'He's confessed.'

'Under caution?'

'Yes, and they took a tape deck with them.'

Robbie hesitated so Jean said,

'Good. But...'

'I doubt it'll go to court,' said Robbie, 'He was seen by a psychiatrist this morning and he's going to recommend a full psychiatric evaluation. I think he'll be found unfit to plead.'

'He certainly struck me as a complete nutter but I appreciate that I'm hardly an objective observer,' said Jean dryly.

'Would it bother you?' asked James.

'No. If he is criminally insane then it's better if he goes to Broadmoor, they won't let him out unless he's cured.'

'You don't want revenge?'

Robbie looked at James sharply, disturbed by his question.

'No... I'm not saying that I wouldn't _like_ to give him a swift kick in the balls but justice, particularly for Doctor O'Donnell, is far more important than my instinctive urge to hurt someone because they've hurt me.'

Robbie breathed a sigh of relief at Jean's words, wondering if she knew how wound up James had been. James looked thoughtful but didn't reply.

They had an early dinner and by nine o'clock Robbie, James and Jean were heavy-lidded again. Laura chased them all up to bed, stopping protests with a blunt,

'Doctor's orders.'

The three police officers exchanged sardonic looks but they all resisted the temptation to point out that Laura was a pathologist, knowing that Laura's terrible bedside manner concealed genuine concern.

The next day, Laura was called out so Robbie drove Jean back to her house. He insisted on checking that Jean's house was clean and secure and although Jean made a token protest she let him overrule her without arguing any further. As they walked around, Jean exerted rigid control, determined not to make Robbie feel that he ought to stay with her, saying calmly,

'At least I won't need to get the carpets cleaned this year.'

The only time that she faltered was when they came to the door of the master bedroom. She froze outside the door, unable to make her feet move. Robbie gently touched her arm saying,

'There's no need for you to go in there now.'

He started through the door but Jean stopped him, saying,

'All of my clothes are in there.'

Robbie waited, watching Jean anxiously as she began to shake. After thirty seconds she grit her teeth and stepped over the threshold. She took a shaky breath and walked to the centre of the room, looking at the bare bed frame, denuded of mattress, pillows and covers. As the memories welled up, Jean knew that she would never be able to sleep on it again.

'Robbie, can you help me take it apart?'

'Of course. Where are your tools?'

They went downstairs and got what they needed then Robbie helped Jean to dismantle the bed and stack the pieces against the wall.

'Do you want me to help you get it downstairs?' asked Robbie.

'No, I'll get Chris to help me later. You've done enough and I wouldn't want you to hurt your back... well, not like that, anyway.'

Jean smiled as Robbie looked embarrassed at the innuendo, he and Laura were so adorable together.

Robbie checked the house one more time then left.

Jean waited until she was sure that he wasn't coming back then took out her phone. She hesitated then took a deep breath and dialed James' number,

'Hathaway.'

'Hello, James. Jean here.'

'Hello Jean. Is everything all right?'

'Everything's fine. I...uh... wanted to ask you something...'

'Yes?'

'Your last day is Thursday, isn't it?'

'Yes.'

'I wondered if you'd like to come over for dinner on Saturday evening? We could have a Scrabble rematch if you like.'

There was a moment's silence and Jean felt her heart sinking. Just as she was about to retract the invitation, James said,

'Yes. I'd really like that.'

'Good. Seven all right?'

'Yes. Shall I bring some wine?'

'Yes, that would be great.'

'Red or white?'

Jean thought rapidly, running through her favourite recipes, then said,

'Red, please.'

'Right.'

There was a brief pause then Jean said,

'See you tomorrow?'

'Yes.'

'Make sure you rest.'

'You too.'

'Bye.'

'Bye.'

Jean hung up with shaking hands, feeling very nervous but with a tiny bubble of happiness starting to form inside her.

James stared at his phone for a moment then pinched himself lightly to make sure that he was awake. Reassured by the pain, he smiled for a moment but then began to brood.


	31. Chapter 31

The next day, James insisted on going into work despite Laura's bluntly expressed disapproval,

'I have to go in, there are things I have to sign,' explained James.

'Robbie could bring them home tonight for you to sign.'

'They're confidential, Human Resources won't give them to Robbie.'

'You're not fit for work.'

James didn't reply but Robbie could tell that his mind was made up.

'I'll make sure he rests,' said Robbie.

'See that you do.'

'And we're not on rotation. It'll be paperwork and cold cases all week.'

'All right. But you're coming back here tonight, James, so I can make sure that you eat properly.'

James grudgingly assented and also agreed to wear a short-sleeved shirt with no jacket so that people wouldn't barge his arm by mistake.

When they got to the station it rapidly became clear that Laura had been right to suggest a short-sleeved shirt as one after another of his colleagues came over to shake his hand, clap him on the back and congratulate him for protecting the chief superintendent. Being in a short-sleeved shirt prevented them from forgetting that he was injured and the handshakes were much more gentle than would normally be the case. The congratulations made James feel deeply uncomfortable and he said,

'It was a team effort.'

'Indeed it was and I'd like to congratulate everyone involved on a job well done.'

Jean's voice carried effortlessly across the room and everyone fell silent as she walked in. She carried herself with her usual poise but she was wearing trousers rather than a skirt. She'd used make-up to conceal the bags under her eyes but even though the bruising was rapidly going, it was still too noticeable for a skirt to be an option.

Robbie was the first to recover his voice, saying,

'Good to see you back, Ma'am.'

'Thank you, Robbie, it's good to be back.'

Several others reiterated Robbie's comment and Jean smiled and said,

'Thank you, everyone. And thank you all for your hard work over the last few days; it's very much appreciated.'

Her eyes fell on James and she said,

'Sergeant Hathaway, a word in my office, please.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

James obediently followed Jean into her office.

Once they were inside her office, Jean said,

'James, are you sure you're well enough to be in?'

'We're off rotation, Ma'am, so it'll only be cold cases.'

'All right but you're to take it easy.'

The genuine concern in Jean's voice made James blush and he ducked his head as he said,

'Yes, Ma'am. What about you, Ma'am? Are you going to take it easy?'

'James...'

Jean's voice held a clear warning but James ignored it, saying,

'It's just that if you were supposed to be taking it easy, there is a pastoral duty you could take care of...'

'Yes?'

'It's Hooper, Ma'am; he's really struggling to memorise the laws and procedures for the Sergeant's Exam and I think he needs someone to talk to him about different revision techniques.'

'You don't think you'd be the right person for that?'

'Not really, Ma'am. Firstly, I've always found learning things easy and secondly...'

James trailed off as he tried to think of a way to explain that didn't make Hooper look prejudiced against graduates.

'He'd take it better from someone who worked their way up the ranks?'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'All right, I'll talk to him in a bit. First we need to get the last of your paperwork signed and back to Human Resources.'

'Ma'am.'

Jean found the correct file in her in tray and they started filling in forms.

Half an hour later James was back in the office he and Robbie shared, gazing morosely at a file on an unsolved murder from nineteen eighty-five. Robbie looked thoughtfully at him and said,

'All right, James? Did Innocent give you a hard time?'

'No.'

'Problems with the paperwork?'

'No, everything's signed and with HR.'

'Then what's biting you, lad? And don't try telling me that nothing's wrong, I know you better than that.'

'I... how do you do it?'

'Do what?'

'Put the urge for revenge out of your mind? You didn't even feel tempted to hit Collins when you had him on the ground, did you?'

'Of course I did but I've learnt over the years that taking a bit of private revenge isn't worth the consequences.'

'Isn't it?'

'No. Say I'd put the boot in whilst Collins was lying there on the floor...'

'Yes?'

'You and Rachel and Innocent would have had to lie about it otherwise he would have got off. How would that have made you feel, having to commit perjury? And can you imagine how Innocent would have reacted?'

James flinched slightly and Robbie continued,

'I'd have been lucky to end up doing the filing for the rest of my time here. And she'd have been right too. And do you know why?'

'Because it's against the law to mistreat prisoners once you've got them under control.'

'Yes, but it's not just that, it's the start of the slippery slope. Once you hit some bastard who really deserves it, what's to stop you hitting the next one? Saw it happen in Newcastle to one of the sergeants, a good copper; he started taking the law into his own hands, giving the right evil ones a bit of a kicking. He ended up beating confessions out of suspects. He's doing ten years now.'

'You're right, of course...'

'But?'

'I can't stop thinking about what Collins did to Jean, I mean Chief Superintendent Innocent.'

The slip of the tongue made James blush but Robbie let it pass, more concerned with getting his point across,

'You've let him get inside your head, James! Think, man, what do people like Collins want?'

'Notoriety?'

'Exactly. They want everyone to remember them. The best revenge you could have on Collins is to forget him.'

'That's easier said than done, Sir.'

'I know and I'm not suggesting that you'll be able to do it overnight. It'll be a long time before I forget seeing Innocent being carted off on that stretcher but brooding about what Collins did is exactly what he wants.'

'You're right, Sir.'

Robbie relaxed as James' morose expression changed into one of intense concentration.

Hooper entered the chief superintendent's office nervously. He wasn't aware that he'd done anything to deserve a bollocking but a complaint from a member of the public was the only reason he could think of to explain his summons. However, the chief superintendent was sitting on the sofa with a pot of tea, milk and two mugs on the table in front of her and John's nervousness turned to confusion as she said,

'John, come and sit down. Tea?'

'Yes, please, Ma'am.'

John accepted a mug of tea and sat in one of the chairs opposite the sofa. Jean smiled at him and said,

'First, I'd like to thank you for all the extra hours you put in helping to find my attacker.'

'You're welcome, Ma'am.'

'I'm aware that it came at the worst possible time for you and Alex, with your Sergeant's Exams coming up. Which brings me to my second reason for talking to you, I wondered if there was anything I could do to help you with your preparation for the exam?'

'I don't think so, thank you, Ma'am.'

'How are you finding memorising all the laws and procedures?'

'Slow going but I think I'm getting there, Ma'am.'

'Hmm, has anyone ever talked to you about different learning techniques?'

'Ma'am?' said John, blankly.

'I thought they might not have done. I had terrible trouble with my Sergeant's Exam because at school I'd just been told to read things through again and again until I knew them and it turns out that my brain doesn't work like that. I scraped through my O levels all right but really I need to write things down to learn them.'

'I've been doing that, Ma'am.'

'Has it been working? I'm asking because I wonder if a different approach might be better for you.'

'A different approach?'

'Yes. Inspector Lewis has commented on several occasions about your exceptional memory for verbal instructions. I wondered about making use of that.'

'How, Ma'am?'

'Dictate it into your phone and then listen to it back.'

'Do you really think that would work?'

'Give it a try, John. I really do think that it will help.'

'I will. Thank you, Ma'am.'

'You're welcome. And John...'

'Yes, Ma'am?'

'Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway have both told me how hard you've been working recently. I appreciate hard work and loyalty, John, and even if this exam were to go badly, I would support you in trying again.'

John blushed and shifted uncomfortably, saying,

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

John finished his tea and left, feeling much happier about his career than he had in a long time.

By the end of the day, James was glad to leave. His arm was aching and he felt exhausted. Dinner and some painkillers helped but when Robbie and Laura went into the kitchen to tidy up he found himself thinking about Collins again. After a couple of minutes Laura came out of the kitchen and sat beside him. She looked thoughtfully at his bleak expression and said,

'Want to talk about it?'

'Not really.'

'Sure? I'm a good listener.'

'I know. It's just... you'll disapprove, Robbie does.'

'Robbie and I hold quite different opinions on a lot of things, you know. Is it Jean?'

'No...well, not exactly.'

'Are you uncertain about your feelings for her?'

'No!' said James, vehemently, giving Laura a startled look, 'I know exactly how I feel about Jean.'

'Then?'

'I want revenge,' admitted James, 'I want Collins to feel the same sort of fear and pain that he caused Jean.'

'Well as I understand it, you and Jean did a pretty good job on the pain front. Between the broken ribs and the concussion, Collins is going to be feeling miserable for quite some time.'

'It's not the same.'

'No, it isn't. He's a sadistic murderer, you're not, so how are you going to make him feel the same sort of pain and fear that Jean did without becoming a monster too?'

James froze in place, then sighed before saying,

'You're right, I can't. It just seems wrong that he goes to hospital whilst Jean struggles with the nightmares.'

'A hospital with locks and guards that he can never get out of, James.'

'I know...'

'But?'

'I can't seem to get past what he's done.'

'Some things are very hard to forgive but you need to, not just for your sake but for Jean's.'

James looked confused so Laura continued,

'You're one of the few people who understand what she's been through that she will be able to talk freely to. Everyone else involved is either her subordinate or work colleague.'

'Doesn't she talk to you?'

'Yes but I'm not a copper. Sometimes you need to talk to someone who shares your perspective.'

'You're right,' said James, thoughtfully.

'And when it comes to revenge I always find it useful to consider Oscar Wilde's advice.'

'Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much,' quoted James automatically.

'Exactly. It generally confuses them too.'

Laura waited patiently as James thought about it, pleased when his expression lightened. After a couple of minutes he said,

'Do you think Robbie would mind driving me back to my flat? I'd like to sleep in my own bed tonight.'

'I'm sure he won't. Don't forget to take your painkillers.'

After Robbie had dropped him off, James slumped in his chair deep in thought. After about an hour he got a pen and paper and began to write.


	32. Chapter 32

Jean woke slowly, aching all over. After her fourth nightmare of the night she'd been unable to convince herself to go back to bed, even after checking the whole house for intruders, and had ended up sitting in the corner of the spare bedroom, braced against the wall with a can of pepper spray in each hand. She had fallen asleep leant sideways against the wall and her whole body was protesting the unnatural position. Swearing, Jean pulled herself off the floor and went into the bathroom; perhaps after a bath she might feel as though she could face another day.

James leant against the door frame as he and Robbie talked about the cold case that they were working on, making sure that he had a clear view of the entrance to the corridor containing Jean's office. A casual question to Carol, Jean's secretary had confirmed that Jean was going to the chief constable's monthly meeting as usual and he was waiting for her to leave. He heard the clicking of her shoes and turned his head to watch as Jean walked briskly down the corridor towards the lift. When he turned back, James found Robbie regarding him with amusement and blushed. Even more amused, Robbie said,

'You shouldn't stare so openly, lad; she'll have your guts for garters if she catches you.'

'Sorry, Sir.'

'Unless you want to be caught, of course?'

Blushing furiously now, James said,

'No, I... you're right, I shouldn't have been staring.'

'Definitely qualifies as inappropriate behaviour for the workplace...'

'Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir.'

'So are you going to do something about it? After Thursday, that is.'

There was no mockery in Robbie's voice now, just encouragement, so James said,

'We're having a scrabble rematch on Saturday.'

'Scrabble? Well it's a place to start I suppose. Just don't let her win on purpose.'

'I can't imagine ever doing that.'

James didn't elaborate and, seeing James body language closing down, Robbie changed the subject, pleased that James had told him that much. James was so private that for him to have shared anything was a miracle.

A few minutes later, James saw Carol going towards the canteen so he muttered an excuse and left. He went into Jean's office and put the letter he'd written on the centre of her desk. He'd taken the precaution of writing 'Personal and confidential' on the envelope so that Carol wouldn't open it. As he left Jean's office he realised that his hands were shaking and, knowing that he would be interrogated if Robbie saw, popped his head round the door to their office and said,

'Fancy a posh coffee, Sir? My treat.'

'Go on then. No cake though, I promised Laura I'd cut down on the amount of sugar I have.'

'I'm glad Laura has taken you in hand, Sir.'

'Only in private, Sergeant.'

Ignoring Robbie's smirk and shaking his head at the terrible double entendre, James left, hoping that he would have stopped shaking by the time he got back.

When Jean got back from her meeting she was feeling out of sorts; the bad night's sleep followed by a long, boring meeting had left her feeling grumpy and miserable. Accepting a mug of tea from Carol, she shut her office door and let her shoulders slump. Seeing the letter on her desk, she smiled slightly, thinking it was very like James to write a formal letter thanking her. Sitting on the sofa, she took a sip of tea then opened the letter, raising an eyebrow as she read the salutation,

"_Dear Jean,_

_I know that this isn't the right time or place to give you this letter, that I should speak to you rather than write but I find it much easier to write about things like this so I hope that you'll forgive me._

_I'm in love with you and have been since I met you._

_'Hear my soul speak: _

_The very instant that I saw you, did_

_My heart fly to your service.'_

_(The Tempest, 3.1)_"

Jean blinked and read it again. No, she wasn't imagining it, James was in love with her and had been for years. Stunned, she carried on reading,

"_At first I thought that I was just infatuated with you, as are so many of the people who work with you but, instead of fading with time, my love has got stronger. Nor has knowledge of your flaws changed my feelings for you, rather knowing that you are imperfect has made me love you more._"

Jean paused again, brow furrowing as she absorbed that sentence. Eventually concluding that it was probably a compliment, she read on,

"_It also gives me some hope that you might be interested in having a relationship with someone as profoundly imperfect as I. I know that I am too reserved, too awkward and too cerebral to be suitable material for a partner for anyone. Nor am I good-looking enough for someone as beautiful as you._"

Ruefully comparing her looks to James', Jean decided that not only must he be looking at her through rose-tinted glasses but he must see something quite different to everyone else when he looked in a mirror. Of course, James' looks wouldn't be to everyone's tastes but he was tall, blond and handsome and looked damn good in a suit, which was more than good enough for her. As to the rest, it was clear that James seriously under-valued himself, which would need to be rectified. Jean lifted the letter again,

"_I had accepted that I would never be able to tell you how I felt because you were married and my superior officer and I tried everything I could to put it out of my mind but as Ovid said,_

_'Nullis amor est medicabilis herbis' (Love is to be cured by no drugs)._"

Jean smiled, thinking that only James would put Latin quotes in a love letter nowadays. At least he'd included a translation too; her school had not included Latin in its curriculum and although she'd picked up the odd phrase over the years she would have struggled with that. She paused for a moment as the realisation hit; this was a love letter. Blushing slightly, she carried on reading,

"_But you're no longer married and in two days time you will no longer be my boss. Will you be my partner instead? I want to spend my time with you, making you feel happy and loved and safe. I know that you aren't in love with me and may never be but will you allow me an opportunity to court you?_"

Court her? Jean grimaced slightly at the old-fashioned phrasing, hoping he didn't mean weeks of faffing around before they even kissed. Yes, she loved being wined and dined and complimented but the last thing that she wanted was a chaste relationship. Was that what he meant by 'too cerebral'? Slightly anxious now, Jean read on,

"_I know that traditionally I should shower you with flowery compliments at this point but I know that you don't value insincere flattery so all I'm going to say is,_

_'All days are nights to see till I see thee,_

_And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.'_

_(Shakespeare, from Sonnet 43)_"

Feeling her heart melt, Jean turned the page,

"_I dream about touching you, kissing you and making love to you._"

'Thank goodness for that,' said Jean, completely unaware that she'd spoken aloud.

"_I want to very slowly peel your clothes off you, kissing and caressing every inch of your body. I have fantasised about making love to you in every part of the station. If I could I would act out every single one of them. I would love to lift you up on to your desk and use my fingers and mouth to make you scream with pleasure again and again._"

Blushing and aroused, Jean stopped reading. Quickly scanning the rest of the letter she realised that James had filled two pages with his fantasies. Reluctantly deciding that she had better read them when she wasn't at work, she turned to the last paragraph,

"_I know that this may seem mad but will you take a leap into the unkown with me?_

_'Come live with me, and be my love,_

_And we will some new pleasures prove_

_Of golden sands, and crystal brooks,_

_With silken lines, and silver hooks.' _

_John Donne_

_Always yours,_

_James_"

Jean put the letter back in its envelope and put it in her handbag, away from prying eyes, then sat and stared into space for a long time.


	33. Chapter 33

Jean bit back a sigh and resisted the temptation to doodle on the report in front of her as the Chief Constable droned on. Luckily he was at the other end of the phone line so her inattention went unnoticed. She had been delighted when he'd congratulated her on the performance of her team, particularly since Robbie seemed to have managed to be uncharacteristically tactful, but now he was talking about targets and performance indicators and she was struggling to pay attention. Her mind drifted to James and she found herself imagining him kissing and caressing her. What would he be like as a lover? Would he be passionate? How much experience had he had? Would she need to teach him how to please her?  
>Jean jolted back to the present as the Chief Constable said,<p>

'I know it's not something you would think of, so I've made the arrangements myself...'

Robbie and James looked up from their desks as Jean came into their office and shut the door.

'Which of you was it?' she demanded.

Jean's tone was icily furious and Robbie frantically searched his mind for something that they could have done even as he said,

'Ma'am?'

'No one else would have the unmitigated gall to do it. So, which of you was it?'

'Which of us was it who did what, Ma'am?' asked James.

'Which of you suggested to the Chief Constable that I needed post-trauma counselling?'

'Not me, Ma'am,' said Robbie.

Jean looked narrowly at him for a moment but she knew that Robbie thought that counselling was a complete waste of time so she turned to James, saying,

'Well?'

'I haven't spoken to the Chief Constable since last Christmas, Ma'am.'

'So you had nothing to do with him arranging mandatory counselling for me?'

'No, Ma'am.'

'Then who the bloody hell was it?'

'Could it have come from the Chief Constable's wife, Ma'am? Isn't she a firm believer in 'getting in touch with your inner self' and all that nonsense?' suggested Robbie.

'Yes, she is. Bugger!'

James and Robbie waited and Jean continued,

'That means I've got to waste time going to counselling and I don't even get to shout at someone about it.'

'Sorry about that, Ma'am.'

Robbie's words were formal but the sympathetic look that accompanied them was genuine and Jean felt some of her anger drain away. Forcing the rest of her anger down, Jean turned to James and said,

'HR have been in touch; your paperwork's all done.'

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

Their eyes met and Jean felt herself beginning to flush as her arousal from earlier started to return. Annoyed with her body for betraying her, Jean turned on her heel and marched off without saying a word. Both men watched her leave, Robbie slightly amused, James torn between hope and confusion.  
>Robbie waited until he was certain that Jean was out of earshot then said,<p>

'So who was it who called the Chief Constable?'

'I'm not certain... but Rose seems the most likely candidate.'

Inspector Rose Jones was in charge of victim support as well as her other duties and was a firm believer in counselling for trauma victims. Robbie nodded, saying,

'Well it's none of our business, thank goodness.'

James shrugged noncommittally and Robbie looked sharply at him but James' expression was completely unreadable.

When Robbie got to Laura's that night, Laura was already home and a delicious smell was coming from the kitchen. Laura kissed Robbie briefly but then looked behind him, saying,

'Where's James?'

'Insisted on going back to his place.'

'Has he got anything to eat?'

'I took him to the supermarket and he picked up some stuff.'

'He shouldn't be lifting with his injured arm.'

'It's all right, Pet, I carried it for him.'

Robbie smiled involuntarily as he remembered James' horrified expression when he realised that Robbie wasn't going to let him carry anything. Laura smiled too, saying,

'I bet James wasn't happy about that.'

'No, he did his best to convince me that his arm was fine but I pointed out that Jean would have my guts for garters if his wound re-opened.'

'Good.'

Laura took Robbie's hand and led him into the lounge, saying,

'I'm glad James isn't here; we need to talk.'

'Okay,' said Robbie hesitantly, sitting on the sofa next to Laura.

'About your over-protectiveness.'

Relieved, Robbie said,

'I'm sorry. I just... worry.'

'I know and I understand but you physically restrained me from leaving your office, Robbie. That's not acceptable.'

Robbie rubbed his hand over his head as he said,

'I know. I panicked when Andrew Cameron suggested that Collins might target you next and I just couldn't bear to let you out of my sight.'

'All right but is this going to happen every time there's a killer on the loose?'

Robbie shifted uncomfortably as he tried to put his thoughts into words,

'I don't think so. I think Jean being attacked in her own home despite all the precautions she takes made me a bit paranoid and then Cameron following you just made it worse.'

'Okay... so it was a one-off...'

Laura looked at Robbie thoughtfully for a moment then said,

'Next time, tell me what you're feeling. I'm not psychic, you know.'

Robbie smiled ruefully, saying,

'I'll try; I'm just not very good at... you know.'

Smiling fondly at Robbie's lack of eloquence, Laura leant over and kissed him tenderly then said,

'Dinner's nearly ready. And maybe later you can help me with some more revision...'

'Sounds like the perfect evening.'

'Really? Even without any football?'

'We could always watch a match first...'

Robbie mischievous expression changed into one of desire as Laura sauntered away from him, saying,

'Well if you aren't in the mood, I could always revise by myself...'

Two seconds later she was being passionately kissed.

Jean curled up on her sofa, pulling a blanket over her legs and taking James' letter out of her bag. She'd eaten, showered and changed into her night clothes, deliberately drawing out the anticipation before she read the rest of his letter. Heart racing, she re-read the beginning of the letter then carried on from where she'd broken off before. After a couple of minutes, her free hand began caressing her body, adding to the sexual excitement she was already feeling. She slid her hand under her clothes, imagining that it was James' hand bringing her to her peak as he whispered his fantasies in her ear. It only took a short time for her to climax, groaning quietly.  
>Feeling relaxed for the first time since the attack, Jean pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and started reading again.<p>

**Author's note: So do you want the details of James' fantasies? Let me know.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's note: The consensus was that people wanted to know James' fantasies so here they are - warning - explicit sexual content. Spoilers for 'The Dead of Winter'**

Jean jerked awake, her pulse racing and her throat dry as she tried to wake up enough to throw off the nightmare. Blinking rapidly, she realised that she'd fallen asleep on the sofa in the lounge after re-reading James' letter. Sitting up, she heard paper rustling and, horrified, fished out James' letter from beneath the blanket. Luckily, it hadn't been torn, just creased in a couple of places. Smoothing the pages out, Jean placed the letter carefully on the table, blushing slightly as the words, 'Interview Room' caught her eye. She leant back as James' fantasy came vividly back to her,

"_There's been a scandal involving one of the other officers on the murder squad and you need to know who else has been involved. I'm refusing to tell the officers interrogating me what I know so you send them away. They aren't happy about leaving you alone with me so you tell them to handcuff my arms to the chair. You wait until they're gone then turn off the tape recorder and camera and pull the blinds down over the two way glass. For a few minutes you just talk to me but when I won't answer, you change tactics. You take off your jacket and start undoing the buttons on your blouse, saying,_

_'You've always found me attractive, haven't you, James?'_

_'I...um...'_

_'It's all right, James, it's nothing to be embarrassed about.'_

_I watch, stunned as you take your blouse off. You stand over me and say,_

_'This could either be a very pleasant experience for you or a very unpleasant one. Your choice, James.'_

_'What do you mean?'_

_'I'm going to get you fully aroused and keep you there until you answer my questions. At first you'll enjoy it but after a while it'll become very painful.'_

_You take off your bra and begin playing with your breasts. I squirm and try to get out of the handcuffs but I can't._

_'This is totally unethical,' I say._

_'Of course it is. Which is what makes it so enjoyable.'_

_I can't take my eyes off your body and soon I'm erect. You smile smugly, saying,_

_'Good boy. Let's get him out, shall we?'_

_You unzip my fly and pull my cock out, stroking it until I'm fully erect. Then you move you hand a few millimetres away and start asking me questions. I refuse to answer so you go back to stroking me, bringing me to the edge of orgasm and then stopping. _

_'Ready to answer my questions yet?'_

_'No.'_

_I expect you to touch me again but instead you sit on the table and rest your feet on my thighs then lift your skirt up. You're not wearing any knickers and you let me look for a minute and then start playing with yourself. I can't help telling you how sexy you are and you smile and say,_

_'Would you like to be inside of me?'_

_'Yes...'_

_'Tell me what I want to know and I'll fuck you.'_

_'I...I... can't.'_

_'Then I guess I'm going to be the only one having an orgasm today.'_

_I groan and you smirk. You alternate stroking me with playing with yourself, all whilst asking me questions. You're clearly enjoying tormenting me and you tell me that you'd like to do this for hours. _

_'I once kept my husband on the edge of orgasm for six hours. He was begging for mercy and agreeing to do anything I wanted by the end.'_

_I try to resist you but you keep me on the edge of orgasm until I break and tell you everything. When I've finished talking, you impale yourself on me and ride me until we both climax. Afterwards, you casually dress, zip me back up and leave, acting as though nothing has happened but we both know that I'm completely in thrall to you and that you'll be able to do whatever you want to me from now on._"

Feeling herself becoming aroused, Jean reflected that it was just as well that she rarely interviewed suspects now. In fact the last time she had taken part in an interrogation had been the Crevecoeur Hall case. She had gone in with Robbie to interrogate Augustus Mortmaigne, both of them grimly determined to find out the names of every single child that that loathsome man had abused. It had taken all of their combined skill but they had come away with a list of names that thankfully hadn't had James' name on it. When they'd checked they'd found out that all of the victims had mid or dark brown hair, providing more confirmation that James hadn't been a victim. Robbie had thrown James' name in at a later interview and Mortmaigne had admitted that he'd suggested to James' father that James should try for a scholarship to a boarding school because James was too intelligent and too perceptive,

'I was afraid that he'd figure out what was going on and he was so stubborn that I couldn't be sure that I'd be able to persuade him not to tell anyone. And people were already wondering why I wasn't giving him piano lessons when he was so clearly musical. Besides, he was wasted at the local school; far too intelligent for them.'

Arousal completely doused by the memory of Augustus Mortmaigne, Jean went to shower and dress.

James and Robbie were briefing Alex, John and Julie about a new lead that they'd found when Jean came into their office after lunch. All of them looked up as she said,

'Afternoon. Problem?'

'No, Ma'am,' replied Robbie, 'We've found a new lead on the Arthur Jones case so we're handing it over.'

'Promising?'

'Potentially, Ma'am,' said James, 'His wife and her best friend alibied each other but their story doesn't add up. They claimed to be at the Duke's Head in Woodstock but the pub had a fire the night before and was closed.'

'Why didn't the original team pick it up?'

'They didn't take the wife seriously as a suspect,' said James.

'Why ever not?' asked Jean incredulously, 'The spouse is always the prime suspect in a murder.'

'Because they fancied the lodger for it,' said Robbie, 'A man by the name of Thomas Nguyen, a Nigerian national.'

'So racism, pure and simple,' said Jean, disgusted.

'Looks like it, Ma'am,' agreed Robbie, 'and when his alibi turned out to be unshakeable they just shelved it without going back over the other statements.'

'Disgraceful. Please tell me that the investigating officer is no longer on my force.'

'No, he retired fifteen years ago. I remember Morse saying that it was good riddance but I thought he was just being... well, himself.'

'Not on that occasion, I would say,' said Jean.

'No, Ma'am,' agreed Robbie.

'Make sure you do a proper job this time,' said Jean to Alex, Julie and John.

'Yes, Ma'am.'

The trio had replied in perfect unison and Jean bit back a smile. Remembering why she'd come, she sobered quickly and said,

'I've just heard from the CPS regarding Stuart Collins; he's unfit to plead so they won't be proceeding.'

'Broadmoor?' asked James.

'I imagine so. I was told that he'd been committed; they'll decide on his final disposition once they've had more time with him I think.'

'Well, at least that means that the public are safe from him,' said Alex.

'Yes and it saves the taxpayer money,' said Jean cynically.

James opened his mouth to point out that it also meant that she wouldn't have to testify but something about the edge in her voice stopped him. Looking at the tension in her shoulders he realised that it was still all too raw for her to be able to discuss it in anything other than impersonal terms. Searching for a way to distract her, James' eyes fell on the Wikipedia entry on Viagra, still sat snugly on Robbie's desk and he said,

'And Inspector Lewis' ignorance about Viagra need never come out.'

John, Julie and Alex desperately tried to control their sniggers as Jean looked at Robbie, perplexed and said,

'What?'

'Just Sergeant Hathaway's idea of a joke, Ma'am.'

'Sergeant?'

'When your ex-husband was brought in for questioning he had a bottle of Viagra in his jacket pocket. When the Custody Sergeant mentioned it in passing, Inspector Lewis didn't understand what they were, Ma'am.'

'And you've all been rubbing his face in it ever since, no doubt.'

'Ma'am,' said James, not even trying to suppress the smirk on his face.

Shaking her head, Jean tried to suppress a smile but failed. She started to leave but paused at the door, saying,

'It was a shame I was unconscious for so long. Even without my memory, I could have told you it wasn't Simon; he's all hot air and drama without any action to back it up.'

'All mouth and no trousers, Ma'am?' said James.

'Indeed,' said Jean, somehow containing her laughter at the incredible aptness of James' comment.

Three hours later, Jean was exasperated not amused. She was trying to get paperwork done but failing dismally because she kept thinking about James' letter and the fantasies within it. Ironically, the fantasies of them in her office were relatively easy to put out of her mind since the walls were so thin that they'd be certain to be discovered and her desk was not high on her list of potential locations for sex, not without ample padding anyway. The fantasy that was currently plaguing her was one that took place in his flat,

"_You come round to my flat one evening. I'm surprised but you're still in your suit so I think it's work. Once you're inside, you kiss me. I kiss you back for a bit but then hold you off, saying,_

_'You're married.'_

_'Yes but he's never here.'_

_'Adultery is a sin.'_

_'I'm not a Catholic.'_

_'But I am. If I have sex with you, I'll have to confess and do penance.'_

_'So?'_

_'So if we do this, we do it on my terms.'_

_'Which are?'_

_'The minute you walk through my door, I'm in charge. I get to order you around the way you order me around at work.'_

_'And if I want to leave?'_

_'You'll be free to leave at any time. And I'm not a sadist. I'm just not interested in being your poodle. If you want someone you can go to for a quick fuck when you're in the mood then ignore, then you need to leave now.'_

_'Understood... All right. I agree.'_

_'Good.'_

_I pull you into my arms and kiss you, pulling you firmly against my body. After a couple of minutes, I let you go and say,_

_'Take off your bra and knickers but leave the rest of your clothes on.'_

_I watch as you wriggle out of them and drape them on the arm of the sofa then I take you by the hand and lead you into the bedroom. I kiss and caress you through your clothes making you moan and beg me to undress you,_

_'Not this time; I want to have sex with you with your suit on so that every time you wear it I'll be able to remember being inside you whilst you were wearing it.'_

_I undo the button and zip of your skirt and pull it up to your waist so I can stroke you. I rub you until you're really wet then say,_

_'Get on the bed and lie on your back.'_

_You do as you're told and I strip then join you. I push your legs apart and enter you. You groan and wrap your arms and legs around me, thrusting up to meet me. I'm too aroused to go slowly so it's hard and fast. We climax together, screaming each other's names._

_I make you dinner then afterwards I sit you on my lap with your skirt up around your waist and your blouse untucked and I put one hand between your legs and the other on your breast and I play with you until you're begging me to fuck you. When I'm ready I get you to go on to your hands and knees in the middle of the floor and I take you from behind, rubbing you so that you come again and again before, finally, I grab your hips and thrust as hard as I can until I come._"

Annoyed that James could so thoroughly distract her, Jean decided that it was time to get some revenge. Reaching for her phone, she dialled a familiar number, saying, when it was answered,

'It's Jean. Can you stay open late for me tonight?'


	35. Chapter 35

When Robbie got into the station the next morning, James was already at his desk. Sitting alongside him was Rachel, frowning in concentration as James reminded her of the forms and procedures specific to the murder squad. As soon as she saw Robbie, Rachel leapt to her feet, saying,

'Morning, Sir. Can I get you a coffee?'

'Morning, Rachel. No need to stand when I enter the room.'

'No, Sir. Sorry, Sir.'

Robbie smiled kindly at her, resisting the temptation to tell her that she didn't need to apologise since it was clear that she was extremely nervous. Instead he said,

'Why don't we all go? That way I can show you my favourite coffee shop and we can make sure that Sergeant Hathaway gets some fresh air and exercise.'

'Thank you, Sir,' said James, 'You concern for my well being is touching.'

Rachel relaxed as he and James bantered back and forth, slowly joining in, and Robbie decided that Jean was correct; Rachel would be a good temporary sergeant. So that just left James to worry about. As far as he could tell, James had no job to go to and wasn't expecting to get one until after Christmas, which was still over three months away. Letting the two sergeants go first, Robbie began to try and think of ways to reduce James' expenditure without it seeming like charity. Heaven knows, he owed the lad plenty but he knew that James wouldn't see it that way.

Jean smiled and nodded at people as she walked down the corridor to her office, feeling in control for the first time since the attack. It was absurd really but nevertheless she felt much more like herself dressed in a smart suit. Laura could no doubt enlighten her as to the psychology behind it but Jean was just glad to be feeling better. As Carol complimented her on her new outfit, Jean felt a tingle of nervous excitement as she thought about what she had planned for later on that day.

By the time that he'd finished his coffee, Robbie had the glimmerings of an idea but he needed to run it past Laura first. Glad that everyone accepted that he would go to see Laura if he had even the feeblest of excuses, Robbie picked up the cold case file he was reading and said,

'Got a question about the autopsy report; back in a bit.'

'Say hello to Laura for me,' said James, making no attempt to conceal his amusement.

Rachel was more discreet but Robbie saw the corners of her mouth turning up too. Suppressing his own amusement, Robbie headed off.

Laura was talking to one of her colleagues so Robbie waited just out of earshot until they'd finished. The colleague left, shooting Robbie a barely concealed smirk as he did. Robbie gave Laura a peck on the lips then said,

'They all think I've come here for wicked, sexual reasons.'

'You haven't?' said Laura, smiling mischievously.

'Not at this time of day. Mind you, those scrubs you wear...'

'Scrubs? Really, Robbie? I'll have to see about borrowing a set.'

Robbie's mind filled with visions of Laura wearing a set of scrubs and nothing else and him running his hands underneath them.  
>Laura's voice brought his mind back from the gutter,<p>

'So if you're not after my body, why did you come over here?'

'I've had an idea of how to help James out, with money and that, but only if you're happy with it.'

'I'm all ears. Though if you're thinking of selling your body, I will be using my veto.'

Robbie laughed,

'I can't imagine I'd raise much money doing that. No it was to do with us and my flat.'

'Yes?'

'The thing is, I'm pretty much living full time at your place now, which I'm very happy with and I think you're happy with too, but at the same time, I think it's too soon to be selling my flat.'

Robbie looked interrogatively at Laura, who said,

'Agreed.'

'So I wondered about asking James to live in my flat for a few months, rent free, to look after it while we're deciding whether or not to sell it.'

'You want to use it as a pretext to save James money?'

'Yes. I don't know what savings he's got but it can't be much and even if he gets this post he's applied for, it doesn't start till January and I don't want him to be on his uppers because he's got to pay the rent.'

'You know he'll see through it in about one second flat?'

'Yes but as long as his dignity's preserved, I think he'll go for it.'

'All right. Yes.'

'You don't mind having me around full time?'

'No, I like having you around.'

'And I like being around you, Doctor Hobson.'

Robbie leaned over to give Laura a kiss but drew back hastily as someone coughed. Seeing two of her colleagues watching with open amusement, Laura grabbed Robbie and kissed him full on the lips before saying loudly,

'Always happy to liase with the police, Inspector.'

'Thank you for your assistance, Doctor,' said Robbie, grinning broadly.

As he left, he heard one of Laura's colleagues teasing her about her 'her policeman' and smiled even more broadly.

'He gets tetchy when he thinks he's missed something,' said James.

Since he knew that Robbie would be out for a while, James had suggested to Rachel that they go and buy lunch and was taking the opportunity to tell Rachel what he could about the ways and whys of her new inspector. He'd already reminded her of the date of Val's death, though hopefully Robbie wouldn't feel so bleak this year with Laura at his side, and now he was trying to put into words some of Robbie's quirks and moods.

'What should I do if that happens?' asked Rachel.

'Go back through all the evidence and see if anything seems wrong or odd, even something very minor, and tell him if you find anything.'

'Right. What else?'

'He hates all the political stuff. Don't suggest that he should avoid questioning someone or ease off because they're an important person. He believes that the law applies equally to all.'

'It does.'

'Yes but Inspector Lewis won't even play lip service to the idea that you should take someone's status into account.'

Rachel thought for a moment then said,

'He's right, it should be irrelevant.'

'It should be but there's very few occasions when it is. You need to know so you're prepared for the number of people who complain to the chief super about it.'

'Is that why you're in her office so often?'

'Yes.'

'I've heard that Inspector Lewis can be very impatient,' said Rachel.

'I haven't found him so. Except when I deserved it.'

'Fair enough. Anything else I need to know?'

'He's a genius.'

'A genius? Really?'

'At what he does, yes. It took me a long time to realise it because he's so modest but the way he solves cases is incredible. The chief super keeps trying to convince him to stay.'

'Do you think he will?'

'Not long term. Maybe for an extra couple of months. Chief Superintendent Innocent can be very persuasive when she tries.'

'True.'

They'd reached the station entrance so James smoothly switched to more routine matters.

Jean reached for her phone then changed her mind, she could do with being out of her office even if it was only for two minutes. Slipping her jacket on, she walked over to Robbie's office and went in. James and Rachel were looking through a cold case and both looked up as she came in. James blushed but managed to say,

'Ma'am?'

'Is Inspector Lewis around?'

'He had to pop out. Is it anything I can help with?'

'No, thank you, James. Could you ask him to come and see me when he's back, please.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Rachel, how are you settling in?'

'Fine, thank you, Ma'am. Sergeant Hathaway's getting me up to speed.'

'Good. Any problems, let me know.'

'Thank you, Ma'am.'

Jean left and James followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight. Rachel's eyes were also on Jean but in her case she was looking at Jean's new suit enviously,

'I wish I knew where the chief super buys her suits. That's a perfect fit and the colour's lovely too.'

James swallowed hard and looked down at the cold case file.

Robbie went into Jean's office and said,

'You wanted to see me, Ma'am?'

'Close the door, please.'

Once Robbie had closed the door, Jean said,

'I just wanted to check that everything's in place for James' leaving do, Robbie.'

'Yes, we're all set.'

'Five o'clock?'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Good.'

Robbie left and Jean went back to desultorily doing paperwork as she waited for five o'clock to arrive.


	36. Chapter 36

Laura looked at the text message from Jean curiously,

* See you in Robbie's office at 5pm? *

Laura had thought that they were all meeting at the pub, in fact she was sure of it. Thoughtfully, she replied in the affirmative to Jean then called Robbie,

'Lewis.'

'It's me.'

'Hello, Laura, what can I do for you?'

'Is James within earshot?'

'Yes.'

Laura thought for a moment then said,

'Are the arrangements for later still the same?'

'Yes. Why?'

'Jean just sent me a text suggesting meeting in your office at five instead.'

'She probably just forgot,' said Robbie.

'Maybe... Anyway, as long as nothing crops up, I'll come over just before five.'

'All right, love, I'll see you then.'

James gazed at Robbie speechlessly, struggling to contain his emotions. Not only was Robbie solving a major problem for him, he was making it seem as though he would be doing Robbie a favour. James had been looking at bedsits because he couldn't afford to stay in his flat but those that he could afford were dismal. And Robbie was acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Looking down at the floor, James said,

'Thank you.'

'You don't need to thank me, lad, it'll stop me from worrying, knowing that you're making sure that the place is all right.'

Since Robbie appeared to have virtually no attachment to his flat, which he had bought simply to escape from the memories of Val that haunted him at their old house, James knew that this was a lie. Blushing, James said,

'You don't need to take care of me, S... Robbie.'

'I know that, James. I just want to lend a helping hand.'

'Lend a helping hand?'

'It's what mates do for each other, isn't it? You'd do the same for me.'

James smiled and nodded.

'Agreed then?' said Robbie.

'Agreed.'

Jean closed her laptop with a sigh of relief, it was finally time to leave. She looked at the pile of files on her desk with frustration; she'd been so distracted by thoughts of James that she'd got virtually nothing done. Thank goodness she could finally sort it out. Jean picked up her things and left, closing her office door with a decisive snap.  
>When she got to Robbie's office, Laura and Julie were there as well as Robbie, Rachel and James. Jean chatted idly with Laura whilst James cleared up his last few items. Once he'd finished, she checked her watch then said,<p>

'I make it five past five. Do you agree, Doctor Hobson?'

'Yes,' said Laura, puzzled but checking her watch anyway.

'Good. That means that you are no longer Sergeant Hathaway, James. Have you handed in your warrant card?'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

'Not 'Ma'am' any more, James; you're officially a civilian now.'

'Yes... Chief Superintendent.'

Jean looked at James in exasperation; he was looking at the floor rather than at her, unlike everyone else in the room, all of whom were clearly wondering if the stress had finally got to her, making her state the obvious. She walked across the room, invading James' personal space, making him look at her, then said,

'You are without a doubt the most annoying man that I have ever met.'

Robbie opened his mouth to defend James but Laura shook her head, putting her hand on his arm, so he subsided.

'Did he tell you what he did, Robbie?'

'No, Ma'am.'

'He wrote me a love letter.'

'A love letter, Ma'am?' said Robbie blankly, wondering why Jean was telling him this.

'A passionate and very... imaginative love letter,' said Jean, 'which he put on my desk on Tuesday morning.'

'I see, Ma'am,' said Robbie, shooting Laura a puzzled look.

Behind them, Julie took out her phone and sent a rapid text to John and Alex,

* Get in to Insp Lewis office now! Silently! *

Then Julie casually moved into a good position for taking photos and waited.

'Do you see? Because I don't.'

Jean turned back to James and said,

'What were you thinking? A love letter like that to a colleague? If I'd taken it to the chief constable you'd have faced summary dismissal. You would have lost your pension and it would have ruined your chances of getting another job in Oxford.'

'I was fairly sure you wouldn't do that,' said James.

'Were you? Why?'

'Because you deal with problems yourself, you don't hide behind the chief constable. If you'd been angry about it, you would have summoned me to your office and dealt with it.'

'All right but why write it anyway? Why not just tell me?'

'Because I'm terrible at talking to women.'

'You talk to women all the time; colleagues, witnesses, lawyers. You're patient and sensitive with them; it's one of your strengths.'

'Yes, that's easy. I meant, if I find a woman attractive and try to talk to them about something other than work, I always say or do something incredibly stupid.'

'You mean you can't chat up women? But you flirt with Laura all the time.'

'Yes, but that's different; I don't see Laura as a woman.'

Everyone in the room flinched as Laura said coldly,

'Thank you, James. So what do you see me as? A man?'

'No, sorry, of course I see you as a woman. I meant that I don't see you as an attractive woman.'

Jean closed her eyes in disbelief and Robbie prepared himself to intervene as Laura said,

'That's so much better. You have remembered that I'm one of the only people in the country who can kill you and dispose of the body without leaving any forensic evidence at all?'

Horrified that he'd upset one of his closest friends, James stammered,

'I meant... it's because of Robbie...'

Everyone looked blankly at him for a few seconds then Jean said,

'Do you mean that you don't allow yourself to see Laura as an attractive woman because of the friendship code? You see her as unavailable?'

'Yes.'

Everyone relaxed and Laura's expression changed to one of amusement so Jean allowed herself to get back to the letter, saying,

'So you can only flirt with women who you're not interested in?'

'Yes.'

'But writing is not a problem?'

'I've always been able to express myself in writing.'

'Well, it certainly was a _very_ expressive letter... All right, I can almost see the logic in that, but why not wait until Saturday to give it to me?'

'I thought it would put too much pressure on you if I was stood in front of you when you read it.'

'That's a valid point but why not post it?'

'I thought it might not get to you before Saturday.'

Jean narrowed her eyes suspiciously; that was definitely not the reason. She glared at him but he met her eyes stoically and she knew that she wouldn't get a better answer from him. Irritated, she said,

'I know they call it 'snail mail' now but they don't literally give it to a snail you know.'

James just looked straight ahead so she continued,

'So why not put it on my desk today? Why Tuesday?'

'I wrote it on Monday night.'

'Yes, James, I had worked that out.'

'I couldn't concentrate with it in my pocket.'

Jean walked closer to him and James backed away, ending up with his back against the wall. Putting one hand on his chest, she said,

'_You_ couldn't concentrate? Do you have any idea how distracted I've been since Tuesday? There's an enormous pile of files sat on my desk and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger because all I can think about is you and that damn letter!'

'Sorry.'

James didn't even attempt to sound sincere and Jean's eyes narrowed again. Putting her other hand on his chest too, she said,

'Well tonight I'm going to get my revenge. I'm going to make sure that you spend the entire evening as distracted as I've been since Tuesday. Starting now.'

Reaching up, Jean pulled James' face down to hers and kissed him. James froze for a split second then responded, moving his lips against hers. Jean had a moment to realise what a good kisser he was before her body took over and she was melting against him, running her hands through his hair and across his shoulders. James put his arms around her, pulling her into his body, using one hand to hold her there whilst the other moved to her head, gently stroking through her hair. Jean was dimly aware of cheers and catcalls but the desire shooting through her body made it easy to ignore them until she felt James' other hand slowly moving up towards her breast. Reluctantly, she broke the kiss and pulled back slightly. James kissed his way along her neck, saying,

'You're so sexy.'

Jean stifled a moan as James nibbled at her pulse point, pushing at his shoulders and saying,

'James, we've got an audience.'

Blushing fiery red, James released her, saying,

'Sorry, I forgot.'

'You forgot? James, we're in Robbie's office with... seven... other people.'

Jean raised her eyebrows at John and Alex but before she could ask them how they came to arrive so opportunely, James said,

'I know. It's... um...well, when you're in the room everyone else fades into the background. I only notice you.'

Jean blushed and smiled softly at him, feeling her heart melting. She pulled him towards her and they kissed again, tenderly at first but it quickly became passionate. This time, Jean was brought back to herself by Alan Peterson's voice saying,

'What's going on?'

He was immediately hushed but it was enough to remind Jean that she had no intention of going down in the annals of police history as the first senior officer to have sex in front of her colleagues. Pushing away from James firmly, she said,

'Time for the pub.'

'I'll...uh...be there in a minute,' said James awkwardly.

Jean looked puzzled for a moment then her eyes drifted downwards, seeing the bulge in the front of his trousers. Smirking, she said,

'We'll get the drinks in. Robbie, make sure he doesn't try to slip off.'

'I don't think there's any risk of that, Ma'am.'

Jean gathered the others up and left, smiling smugly.

Robbie smiled at James and said,

'Looks like you're in for an interesting evening.'

James smiled wryly and said,

'You don't happen to have a bucket of ice on you, do you?'

'No. And I suspect she'd just see that as a challenge anyway.'

'True.'

'You happy about this, James?'

'Yes...very. I just wasn't expecting...'

'No, I can see that. That must have been some letter you wrote.'

'Well, I always did come top of the class in English.'

James' voice was flippant but Robbie replied seriously,

'Good idea to play to your strengths, lad. She seemed pretty pleased with the letter to me; something to use again, mebbe.'

'Do you think she really was? Pleased, I mean.'

'No doubt about it at all. I've never seen Jean look so happy. Why did you give her the letter on Tuesday?'

James suddenly found himself pinned by Robbie's stare and knew that Robbie wouldn't be fobbed off so said,

'It was because of what you said about the best revenge being to forget Collins and then Laura pointed out that I was in a unique position to help Jean. She meant as a friend and at first I was going to offer Jean that but then Jean rang and invited me to dinner so I decided to take a risk and tell her about my feelings and see if I couldn't take Jean's mind off Collins at the same time.'

'I'd say it worked. From what she said, she hasn't thought of anything else since Tuesday.'

'So Collins loses.'

'Yes. Seems like you found the perfect revenge.'

'I think so.'

James' voice was calm, with none of the dark anger that had been worrying Robbie so much. Smiling, Robbie said,

'So time to let Jean have her revenge then. If you think you're up for it?'

Robbie grinned as James blushed at the double entendre,

'You're really not helping, S...Robbie.'

'Wasn't trying to. Come on, let's not keep them waiting.'

Smiling, walking shoulder to shoulder, they headed to the pub.

**Author's note: I had originally intended to end it here but do people want a chapter on James' leaving do and what happens afterwards? Leave a review and let me know. No reviews = no more chapters.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews, they are greatly appreciated.**

**I had intended to do two long chapters to finish but I am currently grieving for my mother-in-law so it will be several short chapters as and when I am able to do them.**

Jean and Laura were almost at the pub when Jean paused, swearing under her breath in Polish. Laura paused too and said,

'What's wrong?'

'That wasn't what I meant to do.'

'What did you mean to do?'

'I was going to ask James to come into my office and then I was going to talk to him...'

'And kiss him senseless?' asked Laura, smiling mischievously.

'Yes,' said Jean, smiling reluctantly, 'Instead, I embarrassed him in front of all of his colleagues.'

'He didn't look as though he minded to me.'

'But he's such a private person...'

'True but there are a couple of advantages to what happened.'

'Really? Me losing control in front of everyone has some good points?'

'Yes. Firstly, you made it clear to James that you're not ashamed to be seen with him.'

'Ashamed to be seen with him? You're joking.'

'I wish I were. Did you know that he'd had a relationship with Fiona McKendrick whilst she was based here?'

'No, I had no idea.'

'Robbie didn't know either, which means that they must have been very careful not to have been seen together, which I doubt was James' idea.'

'Fiona was incredibly ambitious, she wouldn't have wanted to do anything that might jeopardise her promotion prospects,' said Jean thoughtfully.

'And I'm sure James understood that but it would hardly have boosted his self-esteem.'

'No.'

'And the next woman he got involved with told him he wasn't good enough for her.'

'What? That's ridiculous!'

Laura repressed a smile as Jean bristled protectively.

'Indeed, but it's left James feeling completely unwanted so, whilst he may have been embarrassed by what you did, I think it could be a good thing in the long run,' said Laura.

'I hope so... So what was the second thing?'

'Secondly, if you'd dragged James into your office, emerging twenty minutes later to tell everyone that you were now together, everyone would have assumed you'd had sex on your desk.'

'Yes, they would have done, wouldn't they?'

'Which James would have found far more embarrassing.'

Jean smiled ruefully and said,

'It's not exactly the rumour I'd want getting back to the Chief Constable either.'

'I can't imagine it is, no.'

'I just can't understand why I lost control that way.'

Laura looked at Jean in disbelief then said,

'Jean, how much sleep are you getting?'

'Enough,' said Jean, defensively.

Laura looked at her sceptically, seeing the carefully concealed bags under Jean's eyes and the weariness in her walk. Jean met her eyes challengingly but Laura had never found Jean intimidating so continued calmly,

'But you're still having nightmares?'

'Yes,' admitted Jean reluctantly.

'Distracted? Having trouble concentrating? Jumpy?'

'Well, yes, but they're all to be expected, aren't they? They'll wear off after a few weeks.'

'Probably... Are you seeing anyone about it?'

'The Chief Constable decided that I was, so, yes, I'm starting counselling on Monday.'

Laura ignored the anger in Jean's voice, saying bluntly,

'Good.'

Jean snorted but whatever reply she would have made was lost as they reached the pub and the opportunity for private discussion ended.

When James and Robbie got to the pub, Robbie led James to the function room upstairs instead of to their usual spot in the bar. The room had been decorated with balloons and a banner wishing James good luck and on one wall was a montage of photos, which James had a horrible suspicion were going to be highly embarrassing. Before he could confirm it, he was pulled over to a table where four pints of beer were already waiting for him.

John and Gurdip began trying to persuade James to down a pint in one, which gave Robbie a chance to have a quiet word with Laura. Pulling her to one side and checking that Jean was not in earshot, Robbie said,

'Is Jean all right? Only that wasn't...'

Robbie hesitated, trying to find a polite way to explain without suggesting that Jean was uptight and over-controlled.

'Her usual style?' suggested Laura dryly.

'Yes.'

Laura hesitated and Robbie looked at her shrewdly, saying,

'Reaction to what Collins did to her?'

'Yes...well, not exactly...'

Robbie waited patiently as Laura tried to find a way to explain without violating Jean's confidence,

'I think Jean's suffering from post-traumatic stress hence the loss of self-control.'

'And her relationship with James?' asked Robbie worriedly.

He knew that being rejected by Jean now would devastate James.

'That was always on the cards, just...' said Laura.

'Not starting quite like that?'

'Yes.'

'I'll give the troops a heads up tomorrow. Make sure we've got her back. '

They went to join the others unaware that Julie, who had come out of the Ladies behind them, had overheard their conversation. With a sigh, Julie took out her phone and deleted all of the pictures she had taken of James and the chief super kissing, only keeping the last photo she'd taken, which showed them smiling gently at each other and was completely adorable. Reminding herself to get hold of Alex and John's phones later to get rid of any photos they'd taken, Julie joined the group round James.

Jean watched the group from the bar, feeling unsure and emotional and hating it. James looked over and their eyes met and she smiled involuntarily. James returned the smile but beneath it Jean could see uncertainty and she remembered what Laura had said. Whatever other problems they might have there was no way that James was ever going to think that he wasn't good enough for her. Pushing her emotions down, she walked confidently over to James and took his free hand in hers. James curled his fingers around her hand and Jean suddenly felt warm as the body chemistry between them sent desire coursing through her body. Resisting the temptation to suggest to James that they disappear back to her place, Jean smiled warmly and said,

'Well done with the decorations, Gurdip, Julie. Can I see photos over there?'

'Thank you, Ma'am,' said Gurdip and Julie together and Julie continued,

'Yes, Ma'am, with captions.'

Jean turned to James and raised one eyebrow, saying,

'Want to get it over with?'

'Might as well,' said James, 'I wouldn't want all that effort to go to waste.'

James' voice was light and sarcastic but Jean could sense the tension in him and wondered how much bullying he'd had to endure as a child. As a scholarship boy with a genius level IQ, probably a lot, she concluded. Tightening her grip on his hand, Jean prepared herself to distract him if the photo captions were tactless or unpleasant.


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's note: Happy New Year everyone. :)**

In the event, most of the photo captions were light-hearted and quite funny. Whoever had done them clearly liked James and the teasing was understated and very tongue in cheek. There was only one set with an edge to them; a set of six identical photos of James looking almost expressionless with sarcastic descriptions underneath them. Jean reacted immediately, redirecting James' attention to one of him asleep in his desk chair, saying,

'You must have been so uncomfortable. Didn't your back ache when you woke up.'

As she spoke, Jean put her hand on the small of James' back and rubbed gently. As she'd hoped, James' attention instantly left the photos and he involuntarily pushed back into her hand. He blushed and said,

'A bit.'

They made eye contact and Jean felt her pulse starting to race as she saw the desire in James' eyes. Jean carried on rubbing his back, enjoying feeling his muscles under her hand. James turned towards her and brought his hand up to her neck, gently rubbing. Jean flushed as her body flooded with lust.

Laura watched with amusement as her normally uptight friend melted, her pupils dilating and her breathing speeding up as James rubbed her neck. Standing on tiptoe, Laura murmured in to Robbie's ear,

'No problem with body chemistry between them anyway.'

'No,' agreed Robbie, automatically putting an arm around Laura.

Laura smiled as Robbie pulled her into his side. She snuggled in, putting her arm around him and tucking her hand into the back pocket of his trousers, smiling mischievously as he stilled momentarily. Robbie leant down so his mouth was touching her ear, saying,

'Fancy slipping off?'

Laura sighed and said,

'I'd love to but we can't. Not only is James our friend but you're his boss so it's your responsibility to make sure he gets home safely and only mildly embarrasses himself.'

'You're right,' said Robbie reluctantly.

'Talking of which...' said Laura, looking over at James and Jean.

Robbie followed her gaze and nodded. James and Jean seemed to be oblivious of their audience again; James' hand was starting to move down Jean's collar bone and Jean's hand was drifting below James' waistband. Robbie walked over and clapped James on the back, saying,

'Come on, lad, time to get some more beer in.'

James' started but obediently followed Robbie back to the table. Laura smiled at Jean and said,

'Another glass of wine?'

Jean followed Laura to the bar.

Two hours later, Jean realised that she had a problem. The problem wasn't James as such. James it turned out was a gently affectionate drunk, which was completely endearing. And it wasn't that she'd been able to drink for the first time since the attack so had had four glasses of wine. No, the problem was that being tipsy meant that instead of gently stopping James when he ran his finger down her neck she had leant into him, shivering as she felt the callous on his finger from his guitar playing grazing over her pulse point. Nor had she stopped James when he had run his finger around the shell of her ear before moving his hand to her hair, saying,

'I love your hair.'

'Thank you.'

Now James was running his hand through her hair and Jean felt herself melting again; having her hair played with had always been an incredible turn on for her.

As she leant into James' chest, trying to summon up some self control, John Hooper came over to say goodbye and Jean reluctantly moved so that James could stand to shake John's hand.

'Goodbye, Sir, and good luck.'

'Thank you, John and it's James.'

'Right... James.'

John turned to go, opening his mouth to say a general goodbye but James stopped him, saying,

'You should use your voice more.'

'What?'

John looked up at James who was gently swaying and waited to see if there was any clarification coming or whether it was just the random murmurings of a very drunk man. James' brow furrowed as he searched for the words he needed but eventually he managed to explain,

'When you interview someone you conceal your accent as much as possible. You shouldn't.'

'I shouldn't?'

John looked hopefully at the chief superintendent but she looked as baffled as he was so he continued,

'Why not?'

'Because it's... it's...'

James searched for the right word but gave up as the alcohol turned his normally acute brain to mush. Instead he said,

'We'll do an experiment...'

'An experiment? Well as long as it doesn't involve anything odd...'

'No, no, not odd. Just say to Laura, in your interview voice, "Tell me what happened." '

Feeling slightly stupid, John did as James said. James nodded and said,

'Good. Now say it emphasising your accent as much as possible.'

John turned back to Laura and let himself fall back into his childhood accent as he said,

'Tell me what happened.'

'See?' said James.

'Not really,' said John.

But Robbie was nodding thoughtfully and Laura said,

'I do. It was much more persuasive when you used your West Country accent, John. I don't know why but I felt as though I could trust you more, that you'd believe me.'

'And it'll make people underestimate you too. Particularly any pompous professors you meet.'

James slurred the last sentence and nearly toppled over as he gestured grandiosely. John smiled as he steadied him, saying,

'I'll give it a try. Anything to get more villains to cough.'

'Right,' said James, sliding back down into his seat and putting his arm around Jean as John left.

Jean let him pull her into his side but the break in contact had allowed a small amount of rational thought to return. She didn't think that there was any danger of them having sex on the table whilst Robbie was here. Robbie was drinking orange juice and was keeping a careful eye on James, making him drink some water and eat and he would undoubtedly intervene before things went too far. However, if she stayed, she would probably invite James back to her place and a drunken shag was not the way she wanted their sexual relationship to start. After having the courage to write her a love letter, James deserved something a lot more romantic than that. And to remember it the next morning too.  
>Jean looked thoughtfully at Laura who was drinking soft drinks too which could only mean that she was on call tonight, probably from ten o'clock. Leaning across Robbie, Jean said,<p>

'Any chance of a lift when you go?'

'Sure. I need to leave in about twenty minutes though.'

'That's fine. I should probably get an early night anyway.'

Thirty minutes later, Laura and Robbie were watching a highly inebriated James trying to persuade Jean to stay. They were out in the car park and having exchanged a couple of fairly chaste kisses (since Laura was on call), Robbie and Laura had had a front row seat as James and Jean said a lengthy and passionate goodbye. Jean eventually wrenched herself away when James started undoing her blouse, the cold air on her skin reminding her of their location. Taking James' hands in hers she said,

'I'll see you tomorrow.'

'When?' said James petulantly.

'After work.'

'You could take the day off. We could do something.'

'With the amount you'll have drunk by last orders, the only thing you'll be doing tomorrow is sitting in a darkened room sipping tea.'

'Stay. We can sit in the dark tomorrow together.'

'I'd rather sit in the dark together without the hangover.'

'Okay, lets do that,' said James, completely unaware of his lack of logic.

Jean smiled gently and cupped James' cheek, saying,

'How many pints have you had already? Ten? Too late for that. Go back inside and enjoy yourself. I'll talk to you tomorrow.'

'Can I text you?'

'Of course. I'm in meetings all morning but I'll reply when I can.'

Jean opened the car door but James kissed her again and she forgot where she was once more.

Before it went too far they were interrupted by Laura who pushed James firmly away, saying,

'We have to go now; I'm on call. Bye James.'

Shutting Jean's door, Laura went round and got into the driver's seat and turned the engine on. Once their seatbelts were done up, she drove away from the car park, saying,

'If I get called out before I get home, you're coming with me, I'm afraid.'

Jean nodded vaguely, her mind miles away.


	39. Chapter 39

Jean woke, shaking off the nightmare slowly, relieved when she saw that it was morning. Reaching for her phone, she checked for messages, smiling as she saw that she'd had eleven more texts from James.

When she'd got home the night before she'd stayed up to text Chris, wanting to let him know about James. Chris, it turned out, had already heard about it through the grapevine and had been highly amused to hear that the tales of her kissing James in the middle of the office had been true.

* You don't mind? * she'd sent back.

* No, it's about time you found someone, Mum. And he seems like a decent bloke. *

* He is. I've always liked him. *

* Good. Have fun. ;);) *

Aware that Chris was at work, Jean had kept their exchange brief, promising to give him a full update as soon as their schedules coincided. By the time that she'd finished texting Chris, she'd had six texts waiting for her from James. The first four had been scraps of romantic poetry and Jean had melted again as she'd read them. The fifth had read,

* Peterson is buying me whisky. I don't like whisky. *

Followed by,

* Whisky is a lot nicer than I remember. No, not 'nicer', nicer is a terrible word. More delicious? No. More pleasing to the tongue? Yes, whisky is more pleasing to the tongue than I recall. *

By the time Jean had finished getting ready for bed, James' texts had become random discussions of different words in the English language and whether or not he liked them. Jean had smiled but she was too tired to join in so had sent him a text saying,

* I'm going to bed now. Have fun. xxx *

* Sleep well, Jean. xxx *

Knowing very well what drunk people were like, Jean had resolutely turned the volume off on her phone and gone to sleep.

Jean made herself breakfast then started flicking through James' texts,

* I wish I was in bed with you. *

Jean blushed, thinking ruefully that if James had been sober last night he would have been.

* Peterson isn't sexy. *

Jean raised her eyebrows and made a mental note to ask him what had sparked that comment. Had Alan Peterson tried to flirt with James?  
>The next three texts were gibberish or possibly a mixture of Latin and Greek, Jean couldn't tell. The sixth and seventh, however, made Jean spit out her tea,<p>

* I've just been sick all over Peterson. Oops. *

* I feel much better now. *

Giggling, Jean mopped up the spilt tea. She shouldn't laugh but what did Alan Peterson expect to happen when he gave an already drunk colleague whisky? And did Julie or someone else film it?

* Robbie says we have to go home now. Peterson doesn't want a hug. Robbie doesn't want a hug either. Do you think Laura will want a hug? *

* Are you asleep? *

* Laura won't hug me unless I have a shower. *

Jean smiled, imagining Laura ordering James to clean up before coming near her.

* I'm going to bed now. I love you. *

Jean paused with her toast half way to her lips, smiling tenderly. She thought carefully, then sent,

* Good morning. How are you feeling, darling? Jean xxx. *

Laura looked at Robbie's sleeping form speculatively. He was sound asleep and didn't have to get up for work as he'd taken the day off so waking him up would be cruel really. Except he did owe her a fantasy fulfilment from the strip poker session and she had woken up three quarters of an hour early. Laura sighed as she remembered that James was in the spare room; what she had in mind was potentially rather noisy and open to misinterpretation, it would have to wait until this evening. Eyes dancing with mirth, she took her laptop into the conservatory and wrote Robbie a long, detailed email about what she was expecting later, which hopefully would keep him hot and bothered all day. Laura hit 'Send' and then put the kettle on, a mischievous smile on her face.

Robbie finished his breakfast and made another pot of tea, enjoying being able to relax. He'd checked on James on the way downstairs and the lad was sound asleep, drooling into his pillow. James would probably have a terrible headache when he woke up though not as bad as if he hadn't thrown up all that whisky that Peterson had insisted on buying. Robbie had been about to intervene when James had brought it all back, all over Peterson's legs and feet. Robbie smiled at the memory; it had definitely been poetic justice.  
>Robbie poured himself another mug of tea and opened his laptop. There was no way that he was opening any work emails today but Lynn had taken Jack on a train for the first time yesterday and he was hoping for some photos. Lynn had indeed taken photos and Robbie smiled happily as he scrolled through them. He was about to sign off when he noticed an email from Laura with the subject 'Tonight'. He opened it expecting a shopping list. Thirty seconds later, his pulse was racing as he read Laura's fantasy. Reaching the end, he swallowed hard, very glad that James was still asleep as he had no wish to explain why he had an erection at the breakfast table. Smiling he took out his phone and sent Laura a text,<p>

* Got your email. You sure? *

Two minutes later, she replied,

* Yes. If you're ok with it? *

* Yes, no worries this end. I'll pop out and buy a few bits and pieces later. *

* What are you going to buy? *

* You'll find out this evening. *

In her office Laura shivered and looked at the clock, wondering how soon she could get away. It was going to be a long day.

Jean let herself relax as she left the final meeting of the morning. She had managed to maintain her usual facade of professional politeness and had managed not to let anyone slip anything past her or place any blame on her or her officers that they didn't deserve. As a reward, she was going to take a proper lunch break and have her favourite sandwich. But first she was going to check her texts. There was just one from James, sent half an hour earlier,

* I think someone's trying to drill their way out of my head. *

Jean got into the car and told the uniformed officer driving it to take her to her favourite sandwich shop then called James. He answered immediately,

'Hello.'

'Hello, James. Have you had anything to drink yet?'

'Yes, I've been sipping water for the last half hour. I'm starting to feel a bit better now. How were your meetings?'

'Good, rehydration is the key. Long. I'm heading back to the station now. Do you still want to meet up later?'

'Yes.'

Smiling, Jean replied,

'Shall I come to yours after work?'

'Yes. I... I'd like that.'

'I should be able to get away fairly promptly. About six?'

'Yes.'

'Try and eat something.'

'Robbie's burning toast for me.'

'He does know that you can adjust the toaster, doesn't he?'

'Yes. He says that burnt toast is the best cure for a hangover. I think it might be a Geordie thing.'

Chuckling, Jean said,

'I think it must be.'

The car drew up outside the sandwich shop so Jean continued,

'I've got to go. I'll see you later.'

'Yes. Hopefully, I'll just feel like death warmed up by then.'

'Bye, darling.'

'Bye, Jean.'

Jean hung up and got out of the car, smiling happily.

Robbie ambled round the shop, looking for what he needed. It was a good few years since he'd planned a fantasy enactment and he'd forgotten how much fun the anticipation was. James was back at his flat so he could get everything in place before Laura came home. A rack of items near the back caught his eye and he walked over to take a closer look.


	40. Chapter 40

James walked through his flat, checking everything again. The kitchen and bathroom were spotless and the lounge and bedroom had been tidied, dusted and vacuumed. He'd also put clean sheets on the bed after nervously talking to Laura about it; she had pointed out that if he and Jean didn't get as far as the bedroom, Jean wouldn't know that he'd put clean bedding on but that if they did Jean would appreciate it. Pottering about had gradually cleared his hangover and he felt alert and well but very, very nervous.  
>James sat on the sofa and picked up his book but found it impossible to concentrate. He considered going outside for a cigarette but he was down to three a day now and he didn't want to have an extra one. Nor did he want his mouth to taste of cigarettes. He picked up a pen and fidgeted with it instead then checked the time. It was nearly six and as long as she hadn't been held up, Jean should be on her way over. He checked his phone for messages but there was nothing since the one Jean had sent an hour ago saying that she expected to be on time. James looked down at his clothes and wondered about changing again. Would Jean like the way he looked in jeans and a T-shirt? He didn't really have any other casual trousers except another identical pair of jeans so the jeans would have to stay but perhaps a different T-shirt?<p>

As James dithered his door bell rang.  
>Mouth dry, he opened the door. Jean smiled at him and he found himself speechless as he looked at her. She was wearing her new suit again and looked amazing. Swallowing hard, James stood back to let her come in.<p>

'Hello, James. How are you feeling now?'

'Better. Are you...? I mean, how was your day?'

'Incredibly boring up to now.'

'Oh.'

Jean looked at James, recognising his nervousness in his awkward posture and uncharacteristic lack of eloquence. Pushing aside her own nervousness, she put her hands round his neck, pulled his face down to hers and kissed him gently.  
>The moment that their lips touched, James' nervousness vanished and his body took over. Putting his arms round Jean, he pulled her into his body and deepened the kiss. Jean parted her lips and their tongues danced around each other. Jean moaned as James' hand found her breast, touching it gently through her blouse. She moved one of her hands down to James' waist, slipping it under his T-shirt, exploring the muscles of his back, scratching lightly. James kissed his way along Jean's jaw to the pulse point under her neck and Jean tilted her neck to allow him better access as arousal raced through her. She pushed his T-shirt up, out of the way, and ran her hands over his chest. James fumbled her blouse buttons open and pushed her jacket off her shoulders. They parted for a second as Jean threw her jacket on to the sofa and James yanked his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. The moment apart allowed James' brain to take control long enough for him to say,<p>

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. You?'

'Yes.'

Their lips met again and Jean groaned as arousal surged through her. James kissed along her shoulder, reaching round to undo her bra and pushing it aside. Then James' hands were on her breasts and Jean lost the ability to think as he gently tugged her nipples. She arched into his touch, reaching for the button on James' jeans and undoing it, sliding the zip down and slipping a hand inside to caress him. James surged against her hand and Jean felt a fierce joy going through her as she realised how strongly she affected him. James bent his head and sucked one of her nipples and Jean's knees buckled as fire shot through her. James held her up and backed her over to the sofa, sitting her on it. He knelt on the floor in front of her and worshipped her breasts, kissing and sucking one nipple whilst pinching the other. Jean groaned and ran her fingers through his hair, saying,

'Oh God, James. That's so good.'

James looked up for a moment and smiled before returning his attention to her breasts. He slid his free hand up Jean's thigh and she parted her legs for him. James stroked her gently through her knickers and Jean pushed up into his hand, saying,

'Harder... please.'

James rubbed more firmly and Jean began to moan continuously. After a couple of minutes, she tugged on his shoulders, trying to pull him up to her. James stayed where he was but looked up at her questioningly,

'I want to touch you... please, James.'

James nodded and pushed Jean gently so that she was lying on the sofa. He lay on top of her, taking his weight on his good arm and using his other hand to caress her. He tried to ease her skirt up so he could carry on with what he had been doing but he couldn't get the right angle so Jean impatiently pulled it up to her waist. She raised her hips to help him take off her knickers, pulling him back up as soon as they were off and pushed his jeans and boxers off his hips so she could touch him properly. They caressed each other briefly, moaning and pushing into each others touch but it wasn't enough and Jean shifted so that their bodies could join. She had a moment of clarity looking up at James as he moved gently over her and then her body was exploding with passion and she was screaming and writhing beneath him. She came back to herself just as James climaxed and she held him tenderly as he collapsed on top of her.

They cuddled for a few minutes but then James moved off her, saying hesitantly,

'Sorry.'

'What for?'

'For being too fast and for the sofa and, well, um, not undressing you properly and keeping some of my clothes on too.'

Jean looked at James incredulously, wondering if he was joking but realised almost immediately that he was serious. Sitting up, she took his hand in hers and said,

'James, you do know that I had an orgasm, don't you?'

'I...uh...I thought so but I wasn't sure.'

James was blushing which was the most adorable thing Jean that had seen for years. Smiling Jean said,

'I had an orgasm and you made me feel as though I was twenty again. You don't need to apologise.'

'But...it was so fast... are you sure?'

'Yes it was fast but it was what I wanted this time too. If you'd tried to slow down I probably would have sworn at you. We can take our time next time.'

'Oh.'

Jean watched as James thought about what she'd said and then slowly relaxed. Curling into his side, she said,

'Where do you want to spend the night? Here or at my house?'

* * *

><p>Laura eagerly let herself into the house, anticipation running through her. She found Robbie in the conservatory, reading the paper. He smiled as she came in, saying,<p>

'Hello, Pet. You're home early.'

'I managed to finish up all my paperwork and for once a body didn't suddenly turn up.'

'Good.'

Robbie stood and pulled Laura in for a hug, kissing her gently. She tried to deepen the kiss but he pulled away, smiling wickedly at her and saying,

'Something you're after, Doctor?'

'Yes. You owe me a fantasy, Inspector, and I'd like to collect now.'

'Very well. Upstairs with you then. Go into the spare room and strip and wait.'

Robbie made his voice firm, knowing that this was what Laura wanted. Laura shivered and nodded, feeling her body start react. She walked towards the stairs feeling Robbie's eyes on her, travelling over her body. In the spare room, she undressed quickly and sat on the bed, nipples hardening from both the cold and her mounting excitement. After a couple of minutes, she heard Robbie come upstairs and go into the main bedroom. Laura fidgeted on the bed as she tried to work out what he was doing. It was another couple of minutes before the door opened and Robbie came in. He looked her over for a few seconds then said,

'Come here.'

Laura got off the bed and walked over to Robbie. He pulled her towards him and kissed her hard. She melted against him, opening her mouth to his probing tongue. Robbie was still fully dressed and the feeling of his clothes against her naked skin made it more erotic, the friction making her nipples harder and she pushed herself against him, shivering with arousal. Robbie took her hands and led her into the main bedroom. Keeping hold of her hands he pushed her on to the bed then pulled her hands over her head and tied them to the head of the bed using the padded cuffs he'd bought earlier in the day. Sliding off the bed, Robbie stood over her and smiled, saying,

'You look very sexy.'

'Thank you.'

Robbie reached into a bag by the bed and took out a feather. Laura had said that she wanted to be tied up and teased and this was something that he'd fancied trying for some time now. With a wicked smile he gently ran the tip of the feather down Laura's right arm. Laura shivered and then laughed and tried to pull away as Robbie flicked the feather round her armpit. Robbie waited until she'd stopped moving then repeated it on her left arm. Then he moved to her body, running the feather over her body in random patterns, making her squirm and moan.

Laura giggled as Robbie ran the feather over her stomach. He did it again, deliberately tickling her, smirking as she tried to pull away. Her attempt to escape was thwarted by the handcuffs and Laura's arousal shot up as the tugging on her arms reminded her that she was helpless. Robbie moved down to her left leg and Laura felt a flash of concern; Robbie had remembered that she couldn't bear to have the soles of her feet touched, hadn't he? She would hate to use her safe word this early in their game but she didn't think that she'd be able to stop herself if he ran the feather over her sole. Robbie ran the feather over the top of her foot then back upwards and Laura relaxed and lost herself in the sensation again.

Once Laura was squirming almost continuously, Robbie put the feather down and started to use his hands and mouth, alternately soothing and arousing her. After a few minutes, she was arching into his touch, panting and moaning so Robbie switched to long strokes, running his hands up and down her body. After a couple of minutes, Laura's breathing had settled down a bit so Robbie picked the feather back up again.

Laura gasped as Robbie ran the feather over her breasts, her skin so sensitive now that the slightest touch sent fire through her body. She writhed against the sheets trying to get enough stimulation to send herself over the edge but as soon as she got close Robbie would stop and wait. He paused again and Laura groaned as he gently held her legs, stopping her from moving.

'Please, Robbie.'

'Please, what?'

'I need to...'

'Not yet, Pet. We've got all evening, after all.'

Laura looked at Robbie in horrified disbelief; he didn't mean it did he? His eyes were full of amusement and she realised that he was just playing the game. Relaxing, she pouted and said,

'Please touch me.'

'In a minute.'

Robbie waited until Laura was completely still before starting to touch her again, running just the tips of his fingers over her skin until she was on the edge of orgasm again. This time when he paused, he was forced to undress; arousing Laura was an incredible turn on and his trousers had become very uncomfortable. Once he was naked he picked up the feather and began to tease her again.

Robbie managed to last another twenty minutes before his self control snapped and by then Laura was begging and pleading, her voice needy and frustrated. Desperately aroused, he joined her on the bed and slowly entered her. Laura arched up to him and they moved frantically together. It only took a couple of minutes for her to climax and Robbie followed her a few seconds later.

As soon as he'd regained his senses, Robbie undid the handcuffs and pulled Laura into his arms, saying,

'So how did I do, lass? Was that what you wanted?'

'Yes, I really enjoyed it. Thank you.'

'You don't need to thank me, Laura. I'm happy to play games any time you want. Just so long as we use a safe word.'

'Good because there are a few more fantasies I'd like to try.'

'Oh? You've not tried them with anyone else?'

'I never trusted anyone enough before I met you.'

'You can always trust me, Laura.'

'I know.'

They kissed tenderly and curled up together, sated and happy.


	41. Chapter 41

Jean unlocked her door and let them into the house, taking off her coat as she said,

'You can leave your bag here for now.'

James nodded and put his overnight bag at the foot of the stairs. He followed Jean into the kitchen and got the take away out whilst she fetched glasses, plates, knives and forks. They ate in silence at first but after a few minutes of watching James get more and more tense, Jean said,

'What's bothering you?'

'It's nothing.'

'James,' said Jean firmly, forcing him to make eye contact with her, 'tell me.'

'This is usually the point where it all goes horribly wrong. Well, technically that's not true; it usually goes horribly wrong well before this. But...'

'You're worried that you're going to say the wrong thing and I'm going to throw you out?'

James hesitated then said,

'Or do the wrong thing. Apparently I have an unerring talent for that too.'

'James, I thought about us for a long time on Tuesday after I read your letter before making the decision to go ahead and it wasn't because I wasn't sure if I found you attractive.'

'Then...?'

'It was because I don't do flings or casual sex. I never really did and now it's out of the question both for personal and professional reasons. On a personal level, I'm not interested in being messed about by someone who's only interested in sex and will disappear after a couple of weeks leaving me upset and wondering if a trip to the STD clinic is needed. On a professional level, I can't be seen to be screwing around. If I were a divorced male chief superintendent I could have a different woman in tow every week and as long as I was careful not to compromise myself it wouldn't affect my career. As a female chief superintendent, if I did the same I would be labelled a slut and my career would be over. And I very much want to be the first female Chief Constable.'

James nodded. As much as he'd like to be able to dispute Jean's assessment of the double standards pertaining, he knew that she was broadly correct; female officers had to be far more careful than their male counterparts and faced far greater criticism if they were deemed to have broken any of society's codes of behaviour.

'So, I had to think about whether or not I thought that we could have a long term relationship,' continued Jean.

'And you decided that we could?'

'Yes. Obviously there are no guarantees but I'm in this for the long haul, James, so I'm not going to throw you out just because you say something tactless. Goodness knows, after all these years I'm used to it.'

James smiled and reached for her hand, saying,

'Thank you.'

Jean squeezed his hand and released it, saying,

'Just talk to me if you aren't sure about something. Now, eat your food; you're nothing but skin and bones.'

'Yes, Ma'am.'

James' voice was dryly sarcastic and Jean was torn between amusement and annoyance. Amusement won out and she laughed before saying,

'You didn't seriously think that I was less bossy in my private life, did you?'

'No. I'd be disappointed if you were.'

'Disappointed? Oh God, please don't tell me you have fantasies of me, dressed in uniform, ordering you to clean the kitchen?'

'No,' replied James, amused, 'I just meant...um...'

He trailed off as he tried to think of a tactful way to explain. Jean glared at him and said,

'James...'

Bracing himself for the explosion, James said,

'I meant that I would be disappointed if you weren't yourself with me given how long we've known each other.'

'My naturally bossy self you mean?'

'Yes,' agreed James, hesitantly.

'James, I think I can safely promise not to hide my bossiness when we're alone together. I was a bossy little girl and I grew up into a woman who likes to order other people around. In fact, there's only one place where I don't like to be in charge and that's the bedroom.'

Jean tried unsuccessfully to conceal a smirk as James blushed bright red.

* * *

><p>Robbie raised his arm so that Laura could lean against him then pulled her closer, feeling happy and relaxed. They'd eaten and were now sitting on the sofa watching a documentary about gorillas. After a few minutes, Laura said,<p>

'I forgot to ask, did everything go all right last night after Jean and I left?'

'Yes though I thought I was going to have to have a word with Peterson at one point.'

'Why? What was he doing?'

'He kept buying James whisky.'

'From malice or friendliness?'

'Friendliness. In fact he was getting _very_ friendly at one point.'

'As in 'You're my best mate in the whole world'?'

'No, he was flirting or trying to anyway.'

'What? With you?'

'No, with James.'

'You're kidding! Has he got a death wish? After Jean made it very clear that she and James are together now? Does Alan want his life made a living hell?'

'I know. I don't know what got into the man's head. And Jean wouldn't have been happy with Peterson pouring whisky down James' throat like it was water either; she's made it very clear that she doesn't think that police celebrations should end with someone getting their stomach pumped.'

'Quite right. Do you know how much damage that can do?'

'You don't need to tell me, lass, I've taken far too many drunks to hospital in my time to ever think it's a good idea.'

'So what happened?'

'Well, James was pretty well gone so I'm not sure that he noticed Peterson's attempt to flirt with him, he certainly didn't respond to it and then he threw up all over him, which seemed to dampen Peterson's enthusiasm a bit.'

'Only a bit?'

'He was very drunk by then but I did wonder if he was about to, you know, come out.'

'As gay?'

'Yes. What do you think? What was he like when you dated him?'

'We didn't really date, Robbie, as you well know... but... I don't know. He seemed pretty keen at the time.'

'I can understand that,' said Robbie, smiling tenderly at her.

Laura reached up and kissed Robbie before saying thoughtfully,

'Maybe he just likes blondes and doesn't care what sex they are.'

'Mebbe,' said Robbie, uninterested, 'Anyway, because he threw up all the whisky, James was fine by the time I dropped him off at his flat earlier so at least I won't be getting it in the neck from her nibs on Monday.'

'Hopefully she'll have other things on her mind by then anyway.'

Laura and Robbie exchanged looks and Robbie said,

'I wondered about seeing if James needed any advice, fatherly-like, but it seemed a bit patronising really.'

'Don't worry about it Robbie; Jean will teach him anything he needs to know.'

* * *

><p>Jean sat next to James on the sofa in her lounge, making sure that she was close enough to be touched but not crowding him. He'd been impossible to read since she'd told him that she didn't want to be in control during sex. Perhaps she shouldn't have said it but she wanted him to know. Telling herself to calm down, Jean reminded herself that James was not submissive by nature. Oh, he was perfectly amenable when he didn't care about something but he would stick to his guns regardless if he felt strongly about it. She'd probably just shocked him by being so open about it; he was so mature that she found it easy to forget how innocent he was about sex. Jean made a mental note not to tell him about any of her kinkier fantasies until they'd been together for some time. Having worked in Vice for three years as a young woman she found it easy to underestimate people's knowledge and awareness of their own sexuality.<br>She was half way down her tea when James said,

'Can I ask you some questions?'

'Yes, what do you want to know?'

'Um, when you said that you don't want to be in control, what exactly did you mean?'

James was bright red again but his expression was determined.

'I just meant that I don't want to be ordering you around.'

'So you wouldn't be interested in my fantasy where I'm handcuffed to a chair and you're interrogating me?'

'I wouldn't necessarily say no. I'm quite happy to play games; that just wouldn't be something I'd want to do every time.'

'All right. So if I wanted to handcuff you to a chair and interrogate you?'

'I'd tell you my safe word and remind you to use padded cuffs.'

'Padded cuffs?'

'Yes, police issue cuffs leave bruises if you pull against them.'

'Do I want to know how you know that?'

Jean smiled,

'Actually, it's from when I was in Vice. That's how I found out that I'm not sexually dominant too.'

Seeing James' slightly shocked expression, Jean continued,

'We were trying to break up a sex trafficking ring. I was sent undercover as a prostitute and the only safe way to do that was for me to pose as a dominatrix. It only took one afternoon for me to realise that it didn't do anything for me.'

'How long were you undercover for?'

'Over nine months. By the end of it I never wanted to wear a pair of thigh high boots again.'

James had relaxed and Jean waited to see if he had any more questions. After a few seconds, he nodded and said,

'I think I understand.'

'Good.'

They talked about other things for a while then James pulled Jean into his arms and kissed her gently. Jean responded and James deepened the kiss. They kissed for several minutes, getting more passionate and running their hands over each others bodies through their clothes. Jean slid her hand under James' T-shirt, scratching his back lightly and was surprised when he pulled away, saying,

'No.'

'But James...'

'Upstairs. I want to make love to you on a bed this time.'

James stood and held out his hand to her. Jean took his hand and led him to the spare room. James kissed her thoroughly then sat her on the bed, saying,

'Stay there.'

Intrigued and aroused, Jean watched as James stepped away from her and rapidly stripped, turning his back to do so. When he turned around, Jean realised that he was feeling self-conscious but there was no power on Earth that was going to stop her from looking. She'd looked into his eyes numerous times in the past but this time they were full of desire. Licking her lips as she became even more aroused, Jean let her eyes drift downwards. James was all lean planes and wiry muscles, broad shoulders and strong arms led down to flat stomach and powerful legs. He was fully aroused and Jean felt the last of the poison left from the last days of her marriage leaving. Her ex-husband had always blamed her for his impotence, even after the doctor had explained its medical origin, and he'd made her feel ugly and undesirable. She'd never lacked self-confidence and had mostly dealt with the feelings of inadequacy but James' reaction to her soothed the last of the pain.

James came back to the bed and very slowly stripped her, one piece of clothing at a time. She reached up to caress him but he said,

'Not yet, darling.'

His voice was quiet but firm and Jean felt herself relaxing as she let him take control. Once she was naked, James said,

'Lie in the middle of the bed, Jean.'

Jean moved up the bed and James lay beside her. They kissed and caressed each other for a couple of minutes then James moved down her body, spending several minutes sucking and pinching her nipples before moving down between her legs. Looking up at her, he said,

'I need you to tell me what feels good to you.'

'Okay.'

Thirty seconds later, Jean was saying,

'Yes, that. Yes, more!'

James listened carefully as he used his mouth and hands to arouse Jean, adjusting his positioning and technique according to what she was saying.

Jean desperately tried to form a coherent sentence as fire shot through her but all she could say was,

'Fuck, fuck, fuck... James!'

Then she was seeing stars as she climaxed, screaming James' name.  
>James licked her gently until she'd finished trembling then moved up the bed. Jean eagerly parted her legs for him, pulling him to her as their bodies joined and he began thrusting gently. Jean moved with him, running her hands down his back and cupping his buttocks. James changed the angle slightly and suddenly fire was shooting through Jean again and she was arching against him, begging him to go faster. James sped up and Jean screamed as pleasure exploded through her body again. James climaxed at the same time and Jean felt a wave of tenderness going through her as he collapsed, panting, on top of her.<p>

Jean waited until James' breathing had evened out then said,

'That was wonderful.'

'Good. It was for me too. Was the um... you know... okay?'

'Okay? It was amazing. Why? Haven't you done that before?'

'No. I wasn't sure what to do so I Googled it. I think I could have done better.'

Jean looked at James in astonished disbelief. Kissing him lightly she said,

'No, I don't think you could; that was perfect. Though if you want to practice, I'm available whenever you want.'

'Whenever I want?' said James, quirking an eyebrow at her, 'So, in your office at lunchtime then?'

'I'd love to but the walls are paper thin and you may have noticed that you make me scream.'

'Yes, you were quite loud. So, does that mean that you had two orgasms this time?'

'Yes and I feel amazing now.'

'So how many orgasms can you have?'

'I don't know, I've never had more than one before.'

'Really? Oh?'

James was blushing again though he managed to look smug even through his embarrassment. As Jean watched him, his expression changed to one of deep thought and she realised that he was thinking about the best way to find out how many orgasms she could have. Running her fingers through his soft blond hair, Jean decided that despite the fact that James would undoubtedly drive her crazy at times, she was a very lucky woman indeed.


	42. Chapter 42

James woke and was immediately aware of Jean sleeping next to him, their bodies touching. He realised to his embarrassment that he was fully erect despite making love twice the previous day. Fiona had made it very clear that morning sex was an annoyance and anyway Jean was deeply asleep so James slid carefully out of bed and put his boxers and T-shirt on. When he grabbed his cigarettes and lighter he found the Post-It notes he'd put in his pocket and remembered what he had planned. Taking out his pen and squinting in the dim light, he began to write.

Jean woke slowly, feeling warm and relaxed. She smiled as she remembered the previous evening, blushing slightly at the thought of her screams. She had no intention of telling James yet but no one else had ever made her lose control and scream that way. She would save it for when his self-esteem needed bolstering, and for when he'd done it often enough not to immediately start double-guessing himself. She rolled over, wanting to cuddle up but the other side of the bed was empty. Jean felt a moment of panic before her common sense reasserted itself; James was absolutely not the sort of man to sneak out in the middle of the night. Turning on the bedside lamp she saw James' jeans and jacket on the chair beside the bed and a Post-It note stuck to her glass of water. Pulling off the note, she read,

"You are so beautiful when you're asleep."

Heart melting, Jean put the note in the top drawer of the bedside cabinet and got out of bed to search for her lover.

* * *

><p>Laura groaned and dug an elbow into Robbie's ribs in a vain attempt to get him to roll over so that he would stop snoring. Through some highly-motivated experiments they had discovered that Robbie only snored when lying on his back so when they were going to sleep he was always careful to lie on his side. Fortunately, once Laura was asleep his snores didn't wake her. Unfortunately, her phone always did so even though she wasn't on call she'd automatically answered her phone when it rang only to find a puzzled man on the other end asking for 'Steve'. By the time that she'd rung off, Robbie was on his back, snoring loudly enough to be mistaken for thunder. The elbow had no effect nor did a push on Robbie's shoulder. She considered waking him but it wasn't his fault that she'd been woken so she forced herself not to. Sighing, Laura got out of bed and went downstairs, feeling grumpy and out of sorts.<p>

* * *

><p>Jean found James in the kitchen, drinking tea. Dressed only in boxers and a T-shirt, unshaven and with his hair dishevelled he looked young and extremely sexy. Jean walked over to his chair and said,<p>

'Good morning.'

'Good morning, Jean. Did you sleep well?'

'Better than I have done for days, thank you. How about you?'

'I slept well, thank you.'

The ridiculous formality of their exchange suddenly hit Jean and she smiled at the absurdity of it before leaning down and kissing James. James responded, taking control of the kiss and pulling Jean on to his lap. As they kissed, James loosened the tie of Jean's dressing gown and slid his hand inside. Jean gasped at the contact and involuntarily pulled away from his icy cold hand. Two seconds later, she was her feet again and James was saying,

'I...I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?'

Jean blinked then said,

'No, your hands are cold, that's all.'

'I went outside to have a cigarette.'

'You must be frozen then,' said Jean smiling.

James didn't return her smile, saying anxiously,

'Are you sure I didn't hurt you?'

'No, of course you didn't. James, you know perfectly well that I'm not a delicate flower. You won't hurt me just by touching me.'

'No, I...I just thought when you flinched that I'd touched a bruise or something.'

'I think the bruises are all gone. I'm certainly not in any pain any more.'

'Good. Um...I'm glad.'

James was looking extremely uncertain and confused and Jean reminded herself that he'd been affected by the attacks on her too. Seeing someone you love lying hurt in hospital is bad enough but having to try to suppress your emotions and pretend that you're just concerned as a colleague must have been horrible. It had taken less than half an hour back at work for Jean to hear about James' very uncharacteristic burst of rage in the canteen which was ample evidence of how badly he'd been affected. Undoing the cord, Jean shrugged out of her dressing gown and stood naked in front of James, saying,

'Why don't you check?'

'Check?'

'Yes. Feel free to be as thorough as you like.'

James nodded and led Jean into a patch of sunlight then began carefully examining her, one inch at a time.

* * *

><p>Robbie woke and stretched luxuriously. The other side of the bed was empty and cold and Robbie frowned slightly as a vague memory of a phone call slipped into his brain; had Laura been called out? She wasn't on call but if there had been several incidents she could have been called out anyway. Robbie padded downstairs and found Laura sitting in the conservatory. One glance was enough to tell him that all was not well; Laura was hunched over her laptop muttering under her breath and she didn't look up as he came in. Years of experience told him that retreating was not a good option so he walked over to her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, saying,<p>

'What's wrong, Pet?'

'Bloody bureaucrats! Sometimes I wonder if any of them have even the slightest idea what I do.'

'Why don't you invite them to attend an autopsy so that they can find out? Might shut them up for a bit.'

Laura laughed harshly, saying,

'God, don't tempt me, Robbie. It would even be worth mopping up all the vomit afterwards.'

'You could call it, "An inter-discipline skills appreciation session" then they'd have to come.'

Laura's face lit up with mischief and the last of the tension left her face as she laughed again,

'You're a bad influence on me, Inspector.'

'Happy to oblige, Doctor. Have you had breakfast?'

'No, I meant to but then I made the mistake of opening my emails.'

'Why don't I rustle us up something? Bacon and eggs?'

'Add some mushrooms and you're on.'

'Right, I'll get cooking.'

Robbie disappeared in the direction of the kitchen and Laura closed her laptop and followed him, her bad mood gone.

* * *

><p>Jean shivered as James ran his fingers lightly down the front of her legs, the slight roughness of the callouses from his guitar playing sending splinters of fire through her body. He was kneeling in front of her looking intently at her body as if nothing else existed. He had spent twenty minutes checking the back of her body, legs and arms for any lingering soreness or bruises before moving round to her front and his gentleness and intensity had turned Jean into a puddle of tenderness and desire. As James concentrated on her legs, she ran one of her hands through his hair, marvelling at its colour, so different from her own ordinary brown.<p>

'I love your hair,' she said.

'Hmm,' said James absent-mindedly, completely enraptured by Jean's body.

He had never imagined that he would ever get an opportunity to spend as long as he liked looking at Jean's body and he wanted to remember it forever. She had been telling the truth, the bruises were all gone and he was lingering entirely for his own sake, wanting to touch and look at every millimetre of her.

He reached the top of her slippers and reluctantly looked up at Jean's face. She smiled at him and tugged on his shoulders until he stood. James pulled Jean into his arms, kissing her tenderly. The kiss rapidly deepened and suddenly their tongues were dancing around each others' mouths as lust shot through their bodies. Jean shoved James' T-shirt out of the way and pressed her body against his, moaning with pleasure and sliding her hands down the back of his boxers.

With a titanic effort of will power, James remembered his plan from last night and pulled his mouth from Jean's. Really they needed a bed but even as he thought it, James dismissed it; he was too aroused and Jean was much too good with her hands for him to be able to implement his plan if he had to wait more than a few more seconds. Casting impatiently around, he led Jean back to the table and lifted her up so she was sitting on it. Grabbing a chair, he sat down and lifted her feet up on to his shoulders, saying,

'Lie back, darling.'

Jean lay back and James parted her legs and started using his hands and mouth to bring her to orgasm.

* * *

><p>Laura sighed contentedly as she leant into Robbie. They had eaten and taken their last mugs of tea into the conservatory and were sitting on the sofa reading. She snuggled closer into Robbie's warmth reflecting that this was the way that Saturday mornings should be. As she turned over another page, she said,<p>

'I wonder how James and Jean got on last night?'

'Well, we haven't had any calls so I reckon it must have gone okay.'

'True. I wonder if Jean's awake?'

Robbie shot Laura a quizzical look and she shrugged guiltily, saying,

'I just want to know that everything went all right.'

Robbie looked at her silently and Laura was reminded of why he was the best interrogator on the force as she tried not to squirm. Smiling ruefully she admitted,

'Okay, so I'm just being nosy. Aren't you curious too?'

'Yes but it's not our business.'

'Hmph,' said Laura, irritated by the essential truth of Robbie's statement.

Picking up her book again, she started trying to think of a legitimate reason to ring James or Jean.

* * *

><p>Jean pulled gently on James' hair, trying to get him to stop. He ignored her so she said,<p>

'James, stop for a minute.'

She was breathless from screaming and it came out more as a gasped plea than anything else but James paused, looking inquiringly at her.

'James, I need to move, my back's complaining.'

James immediately swung her legs down and helped her off the table. Jean was not at all surprised when her legs decided to give way and she ended up sitting on James' lap. She had expected a repeat of last night but instead of stopping after he'd brought her to one orgasm, James had used his tongue to bring her to four orgasms. Jean had tried to suggest that it was his turn after each one but he had held her firmly in place, saying,

'Not yet. I think you can have some more.'

And he'd been right. As a result her legs were like jelly and her whole body was suffused with pleasure.

The pressure of James' erection against her hip reminded Jean that he had still not had his pleasure so she said,

'Your turn.'

She slipped off his lap and knelt in front of him but James reached down and pulled her back up, saying,

'No.'

'Seriously? Are you sure?'

'Yes. I mean, I do want that just not this time.'

'Okay. So what do you want?'

'We could go upstairs and see how many more orgasms you can have.'

Jean smiled ruefully,

'James, you've turned my legs to jelly; I'm not sure I'd even make it upstairs at the moment. And I think the answer to that question is zero. I feel amazing but completely sated. You on the other hand are definitely in need of some attention.'

As she spoke, Jean slid a hand inside James' boxers and gently curled her hand around him. James groaned but pulled her hand away, saying,

'I want to be inside you.'

James stood up and led Jean into the lounge. He stripped quickly and sat in the centre of the sofa. Blushing slightly, he said,

'Will you go on top of me?'

Jean sat astride James and slowly impaled herself on him. James groaned but when Jean began to move, he stopped her. Smiling mischievously, Jean tried to push herself upwards only to find herself being held gently but firmly in place.

'No, don't move. I want to look at you for a minute.'

Jean stilled, relaxing her muscles. She had no idea why he wanted to look at her some more but after the pleasure he'd just given her, he could do whatever he liked.

James cupped her breasts, saying,

'You are so sexy. I wish I could take a picture of you like this.'

'We'd have to keep the camera's memory card locked in the safe if you wanted to do that.'

'You mean you'd let me? You trust me that much?'

'Yes, of course I do.'

Overwhelmed, James buried his face in her chest, completely unable to articulate the joy and love that he was feeling. A few seconds later, he was kissing and sucking one of Jean's nipples as he flexed his hips, pushing himself more deeply into her. Jean began rising and falling on him and he very quickly climaxed, holding Jean tightly to him.

They cuddled together for a few minutes then Jean said briskly,

'Right; shower then breakfast then we can decide what we're doing for the rest of the day.'

Smiling, James followed her upstairs.


	43. Chapter 43

Sunday afternoon

The autumn sun was warm on Robbie's face as he sipped his tea, resting for a while from digging in the allotment. Feeling completely at peace with the world he looked over at James who was perched on a packing crate and said,

'All right?'

James looked thoughtfully at him and Robbie knew that he had understood the hidden question. Of course, being James, there was no guarantee that he would answer it. James sipped his tea for a while then said,

'After some consideration, I have decided that Simon Innocent is, without a shadow of a doubt, the stupidest man I've ever met and could quite possibly be the stupidest man on the entire planet.'

Robbie considered a variety of answers but in the end chose the one that best summarised how pleased he was,

'Good.'

They finished their tea in companionable silence then went back to work.

* * *

><p>Laura smiled and pulled Jean in for a brief hug, saying,<p>

'That's perfect timing; James has just sent me text saying that they're on their way back.'

'Good.'

Jean followed Laura through to the kitchen, saying,

'Can I do anything to help?'

'No, thanks. Everything's already in the oven. Tea?'

'Yes, please.'

Laura put the kettle on to boil then said,

'So?'

'So, what?'

'So, how's it going?'

'Well, thank you.'

'And?'

'And nothing, Laura. So far it's going well and I'm optimistic that it will continue to do so.'

'You're really not going to tell me anything else, are you?'

'No, I'm not. James is a very private person, Laura, you know that as well as I do, so I'm not going to tell you anything that might make him uncomfortable.'

'Fair enough,' said Laura, reluctantly admitting to herself that Jean was right, 'but at least tell me this, do you need Robbie to have a chat to him? Robbie nearly did on Thursday but he didn't want James to think that he was patronising him.'

'No, there's no need. No need at all, in fact.'

Jean made no attempt to hide the smug smile that was erupting and Laura beamed when she saw it, saying,

'I always knew that James was a dark horse. I'm really pleased for you both. And outside the bedroom? Any ructions yet?'

Jean restrained herself from commenting smugly about the other rooms they'd made love in, although she reflected wryly it would be fun to see the surprise on Laura's face given that she and James had barely been out of each others arms all weekend and had made love wherever they happened to be (she was never going to be able to look at most of the rooms in her house in the same way again). Instead she answered Laura's question, saying,

'He has been snapped at a couple of times; he really does have the most incredible talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.'

'Yes, he does. I've lost count of the number of times I've told him off. Did it bother him?'

'I don't think so. He is used to me telling him off, after all. Although he's usually had Robbie beside him up to now.'

'And his tactlessness isn't bothering you?'

'Not really. I do know what he's like after all these years and he has been making up for it in other ways.'

'Oh?' said Laura, raising an eyebrow.

'Not like that. Well, not only like that. He leaves me Post-It notes with compliments on them all over the house.'

'That's really sweet.'

'Yes, it is,' said Jean, smiling, 'There was one on the steering wheel of my car when I got in it just now; I didn't even know he'd been out there.'

'What did it say?'

'That he was going to be thinking about me all afternoon.'

'Wow. You must feel...'

Laura trailed off looking at the soft, thoughtful expression on Jean's face. Jean hesitated then said,

'I feel cherished.'

Laura pulled her in for a hug feeling deeply happy for her friends.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Laura was feeling highly amused. The moment that James and Robbie had returned Jean and James had only had eyes for each other, answering questions distractedly and desperately trying to keep their hands off each other. Now, having eaten, they were sitting on the sofa and what had started as holding hands was rapidly progressing into heavy petting. James was kissing his way from Jean's shoulder to her lips while Jean's hand was making its way up James' thigh and Laura suspected that it was only a matter of time before clothes started coming off.<p>

Laura exchanged mirthful looks with Robbie before regretfully deciding that it was time to send them on their way; Robbie and Jean did have to work together after all (and James would probably prefer not to be naked in front of them too). Clapping her hands together, she said,

'Entertaining as this is, I think it's time that you were off, don't you?'

Blushing furiously, James leapt to his feet and started stammering apologies. Jerked back to a sense of where they were, Jean got to her feet more slowly and cut through James' apology, saying dryly,

'You're right, of course. Much as I love you both, there are some things I don't want to share with you. Thank you for a lovely dinner, Laura. I'll see you tomorrow, Robbie.'

They said goodbye and left, leaving Laura and Robbie chuckling.

* * *

><p>Jean waited until they were back at her place before saying,<p>

'I missed you this afternoon.'

'Oh...um...'

James looked at Jean helplessly, cursing his inability to string a sentence together when it was really important. Jean smiled wryly at him, saying,

'It's all right, James; you left me a note, remember?'

James relaxed slightly and Jean continued,

'I'm not fishing for compliments. I wanted you to know, that's all.'

'Why?'

Jean paused to gather her thoughts then said,

'Because I won't tell you I love you until I'm sure that I do.'

'I understand. There's no hurry.'

Jean looked into James' intense, intelligent face and realised that he meant it; he would wait for as long as it took. She had time to wait for her emotions to return to normal following the attack and time to see if the overwhelming lust she felt would mellow into love. Something inside her relaxed and she smiled gratefully at him. James raised his hand to her hair, sliding his fingers sensuously through it and Jean sighed as her body ignited with lust again. Jean reached under James' T-shirt and scratched his stomach lightly. James pulled her to him and kissed her and the world faded away as they made love to each other again.


	44. Epilogue

**Author's note: A huge thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. I really appreciate it.**

Epilogue - Nine Months Later

Robbie checked the time as he put the casserole dish in the oven, mentally thanking James for providing him with a foolproof recipe for a healthy meal that could stay in the oven until Laura came home. All he needed to do later was cook some greens and even he could manage that. Picking up the radio, he went out into the garden and began weeding whilst listening to the cricket commentary.

Laura smiled tenderly as she saw Robbie. He was pottering about her garden and looked ten years younger than he had before he retired. She'd been worried that he would be bored but he had started involving himself in the community, helping to run clubs for the teenagers and helping her very elderly next door neighbour, and rarely had a full day free in the week.

Laura stepped out on to the patio and Robbie immediately looked up, smiling at her. They kissed but Robbie was careful to keep his hands away from her, saying,

'I'm all over mud.'

'A hoary-handed son of the soil, in fact.'

'That's me. And proud of it.'

Laura chuckled and said,

'So you wouldn't fancy a middle class glass of wine then?'

'I think I could be persuaded.'

'And how about some rumpy-pumpy later?' said Laura, teasingly.

Robbie shot her a heated look, saying,

'Nothing I'd like more, Pet. Now, you'd better get in the house before I put dirty hand prints all over your nice clean clothes.'

Smirking, Laura retreated to the kitchen and poured the wine.

* * *

><p>Professor Devon watched as his guests circulated, poised ready to step in to deflect any awkwardness. He eavesdropped for a while on the conversation between Professor Elkon and James Hathaway, amused by the younger man's erudition and persistence. Hathaway was being impeccably polite but was very happily countering every point that Elkon made, using quotes in the original Ancient Greek where appropriate. Elkon looked the most interested that Devon had seen him for years and would probably try to lure Hathaway up to his study for a longer discussion later. Devon was tempted to join in but after a few minutes his duties as host forced him to move on. He moved steadily around the room, chatting and refilling wine glasses, ending up next to Peter Finch, who was the current Chief Constable and a close friend. They chatted idly about golf and the various charities that they supported until Professor Devon's eye was caught by the sight of Jean Innocent, dressed in a very attractive but completely appropriate dress, moving confidently around the room. Despite this being an academic gathering, Jean looked relaxed and as if she genuinely wanted to be there.<p>

'Jean looks as though she's fully recovered,' said Professor Devon.

'Yes, she's back to normal now,' said Peter.

'Terrible what happened and so brave of her to set that trap,' continued Devon, 'We don't often get the full story so it was interesting to read about it.'

The Chief Constable smiled. Once Stuart Collins had been safely sectioned and locked away, Jean had given the Oxford Post their promised exclusive, telling them all about the case, with extremely good results; trust in the Oxfordshire police had reached unprecedented levels and the consequent improvement in their relationships with the communities was paying massive dividends. The article had also been picked up by several national newspapers and he'd received some very jealous congratulations from his counterparts elsewhere.

'Yes, she's an exceptional officer,' he said.

'And now with James Hathaway?'

'Yes. What do you think of him?'

'A very interesting man. Exceptionally intelligent with a logical mind. Wasted at St Gerrards but I doubt that they'll manage to hold on to him for long. Not now that a few people have had a chance to joust with him. I don't think Elkon's going to be wasting any time putting some feelers out after tonight.'

'Suitable to be a Chief Constable's partner?'

'Oh, I think so. Far better than her ex-husband; he really is the most tedious man.'

'I never felt that he was quite up to her weight.'

'Indeed and all that playing around with schoolgirls...'

Professor Devon's voice was filled with distaste and Peter Finch nodded even as he reluctantly said,

'They are always over sixteen.'

'Which makes him careful not of good character.'

'So do you think the academic community would support Jean as the next chief constable when I retire? Assuming all goes well between now and then, of course.'

'Probably. It's not as if we have any real say anyway.'

'In theory, no, but in practice we both know that you are a man of significant influence.'

'True.'

Professor Devon preened before continuing,

'Let's just say that her candidacy makes me feel no unease.'

Finch nodded and moved off to talk to someone else, reassured that he would be able to leave Oxford in a safe pair of hands when he retired. Thank goodness that idiot Simon Innocent was out of the picture. No, Jean was far better off with young Hathaway and with any luck, by the time he retired they'd be married which would appease the traditionalists as well. With a pleased smile he joined a group discussing the need to raise funds for the restoration of the historic chapel.

**The End**


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